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 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.
Morera
Josep M
JM
Igualada Technical Engineering School (EUETII), Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), Plaça del Rei 15, Igualada, Spain. jmmorera@euetii.upc.edu
Bacardit
Anna
A
Ollé
Lluís
L
Bartolí
Esther
E
Borràs
Maria D
MD
D017608:Chromium Compounds / Q000032:analysis*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013633:Tanning / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards
D017608:Chromium Compounds; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D007220:Industrial Waste