40
REVIEW PAPER
RECYCLING LEATHER
ASHWINI TARTE M.Tech Student
DR. SUMAN D MUNDKUR Visiting Faculty
Department of Fibres and Textile Processing Technology, ICT Mumbai Abstract The leather industry is one of the leading industries in textiles. It produces large amounts of waste during the manufacturing process and after the use of leather fabric by consumers. This industry is one of the largest waste-producing industries. Almost 20% of worldwide waste from leather is generated in Asia. This can be very harmful to aquatic life. It occupies a large landfill space. The waste should be recycled to minimize the environmental impact. It produces solid waste and liquid waste during processing. There are a lot of studies done on leather recycling and reusing leather products. Some methods to recover energy from the heat and energy which is generated during leather processing. The restyling technique also helps reuse and reduce waste. Keywords: leather manufacturing, leather waste, leather recycling.
meat industry. This raw material is processed and converted into usable leather in tanneries. Hence, the tanning industry is considered as one of the primary leather processing units in the entire leather industry. The chemical treatment called tanning converts the otherwise perishable skin to a stable and non-decaying material. Tanning agents include vegetable tannins (from sources such as tree bark), mineral salts (such as chromium sulfate),
and fish or animal oils. In this tanning process, maximum leather waste is generated; this waste is further used for generating heat and energy [1]. Process of modern leather Manufacting Leather production is a very lengthy process that involves several steps before tanning. The most important stages in converting the raw animal hide to leather are listed below [2][3]. The modern commercial leather-making process involves three basic phases:
Introduction Leather has been treated with chemicals to preserve and make it suitable for use as clothing, footwear, handbags, furniture, tools, and sports equipment. The consumption of leather products by humans is very commonly used. The primary raw material for any leather processing industry is derived from slaughterhouses and waste from the
M AY 2 0 2 1
Fig 1. Processing of leather [3]
