Minimization of the environmental impact of chrome tanning: A new process with high chrome exhaustion

In all tanning technology operations wastes are generated. These reach the environment as residual waters, solid and liquid waste as well as atmospheric emissions and odours. This study tests an alternative method to the traditional tanning method at an industrial level. The new method is based on t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemosphere (Oxford) 2007-11, Vol.69 (11), p.1728-1733
Main Authors: Morera, Josep M., Bacardit, Anna, Ollé, Lluís, Bartolí, Esther, Borràs, Maria D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Chrome exhaustion
Chrome tanning
Chromium Compounds - analysis
Environmental Pollutants - analysis
Exact sciences and technology
Global environmental pollution
Industrial Waste - economics
Industrial Waste - prevention & control
Other techniques and industries
Pollution
Residual float
Salinity
Tanning - economics
Tanning - instrumentation
Tanning - methods
Tanning - standards
Tanning industry
Tanning wastewater
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Summary:In all tanning technology operations wastes are generated. These reach the environment as residual waters, solid and liquid waste as well as atmospheric emissions and odours. This study tests an alternative method to the traditional tanning method at an industrial level. The new method is based on tanning without float and by significantly increasing the temperature at the end of the tanning process. The properties of the leathers obtained using the two methods have been compared and the results indicate that those leathers have similar physical, chemical, and organoleptic properties. However, the differences existing from the environmental point of view are significant. It is not necessary to use clean water for this tanning. Moreover, there is a 75% reduction of the residual float, a 91% reduction of the chrome discharged, and a 94% reduction of the chlorides discharged. A financial assessment was carried out to demonstrate that the newly proposed system is 32% more economic than the traditional one.
ISSN:0045-6535
1879-1298
DOI:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.05.086