A technical and economic study of hydraulic installations for irrigation in Morocco through the reuse of treated wastewater

Under increasing climate change pressures and growing freshwater scarcity, the textile industry urgently needs innovative, low-cost, and sustainable wastewater treatment technologies. This study explores the use of palm waste, an abundant lignocellulosic by-product in arid regions, as an eco-friendly adsorbent for textile effluent purification. A pilot-scale prototype was developed and tested under dynamic flow conditions to evaluate treatment performance, regeneration behavior, and economic feasibility. Results showed pollutant removal efficiencies exceeding 85–95.7%, with total suspended solids and organic loads effectively reduced over three to five regeneration cycles using a simple ethanol–water washing step. The system also achieved a 90% reduction in water costs, confirming its strong potential for industrial water reuse. Complementary kinetic modeling with cationic and anionic model pollutants validated the chemisorption-driven mechanism. Overall, this work demonstrates the technical, economic, and environmental viability of palm-waste-based filters, aligning with national water reuse strategies and circular economy goals for sustainable resource management.