ABSTRACT
Due to increasing industrialization, the generation of wastewater has increased many folds and their suitable treatment in order to satisfy the stringent discharge standard is a critical issue. The inefficient treatment of industrial effluents is one of the major sources of water pollution and other environmental degradation. Furthermore, the low availability of fresh water and its scarcity are critical problems. In this context, the growing trend of the zero liquid discharge (ZLD) techniques is one of the versatile solutions, which would not only decrease problems in industrial effluents but also provide treated wastewater reuse options. The ZLD techniques have many positive outcomes as per the reported literature and could be a sustainable solution for the current water and pollution challenges. For treating wastewater, we need technologies that are efficient and require low energy and cost. ZLD is one such technique that works on a closed-loop cycle and eliminates the discharge of liquid waste. Although ZLD is capable of treating the waste up to high efficacies with a high recovery rate, it also increases the cost of the process. Hence, proper selection of treatment options, either single or combined, as per wastewater characteristics is essential. Incorporating ZLD with membrane-based techniques can be a useful alternative for future use, which is discussed in this chapter. Also, the importance and challenges of future perspectives of ZLD technology are covered in brief.
