Introduction: aquatic life. Although different processes have been developed to treat textile effluents. In past, Our biosphere is under constant threat from biological waste water treatment was used but due continuing environmental pollution. Impact on its to low efficiency in removing the dyes, it is atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere by discarded. Therefore chemical methods were anthropogenic activities cannot be ignored. In last adapted to remove resistant dyes which include decade different approaches have been developed to flocculation and coagulation method [3, 4, 5]. tackle the hazards presented by human. [1,2]. One of the major environmental hazard is presented by Textile industries release this water into canals textile sector. Textile Sector has greatest impact on without proper treatment. Modern science has country's economy. In textile industry about 70% of developed different methods for different purposes, pollution is presented by chemical processing. to treat or decolour this water. To prevent these Large volume of water is used in different processes. harmful compounds from release into the environment, a number of processes have been For example, in dyeing bath different toxic dyes are developed for discoloration of textile waste water [6]. used. These toxic dyes are not properly fixed to fibers and are discharged to lakes, which affect the Removal of Anionic Dyes by Modified Cationic Starch 1,2 1 1 2 1 H. M. Aamir* , R. U. Khan , R. Mujahid , S. Tahir , A. Ijaz Abstract Textile industry is one of the major source in polluting the nature's gift (water) to mankind. In textile industry the dyeing process is the main process which pollutes water. Large quantities of water are used up in this process which produce large amount of waste water. This waste water has high turbidity caused by Dyes. Almost all of these dyes are not consumed properly. Therefore treatment processes are required to clean up the textile waste water. In the present work a new flocculant was prepared which is cheap and its impacts on the treated water are not harmful. It was prepared by the reacting corn starch with hydroxymethyl dimethylamine hydrochloride by dry process. It was used as flocculant to study the behavior of flocculation. It was used to treat dyestuff (Reactive Acid yellow C.I. 13065) wastewater. The effects of coagulant dosage and residence time on the flocculation were studied and it was found that the dyestuff flocculation reached at optimum. The effect of temperature on the preparation of HMMAHC was also studied. The results depicts that this flocculant has high adsorption efficiencies. Keywords: Cationic starch, Etherification, Mannich reaction, Hydroxymethyl dimethylamine hydrochloride, Flocculation Submitted: 10/06/2014, Accepted: 27/08/2014, Online: 27/08/2014 1 Institute of Chemical Engineering & Technology, University of the Punjab, Lahore 2 Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Gujrat, Gujrat. Corresponding Author: Hafiz Muhammad Aamir (engr.aamir99@gmail.com) JPIChE 42 (2) 2014: 69-75 journal homepage: www.piche.org.pk/journal Journal of Pakistan Institute of Chemical Engineers 69 Journal of The Pakistan Institute of Chemical Engineers