Green Leather Crust
Green Leather Crust is an innovative solution for all three process steps from rawhide to leather.
THE PROBLEM
Currently, there are more than 2,000 tanneries working around the globe. There is a significant portion of tanneries that still work under conventional process conditions. If tanneries, representing 10% of global cattle volume (ca. 10 bio kg) would switch toward the proposed technologies, we would foresee the following global environmental reduction impact:
- Sludge (beamhouse): 270.000 tons/year
- COD (beamhouse): 40.000 tons/year
- Salt (tanning/retanning): 65.000 tons/year
THE INNOVATION
Green Leather Crust is an innovative solution for all three process steps from rawhide to leather:
- Beamhouse: Preparation of rawhide. Innovation – Peltec X-Zyme S and U: Reduction of sludge and decrease of COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand)
- Tannage: Stabilization of collagen. Innovation – X-Tan W: Reduction of salt and removal of active tanning agents from leather, shavings and effluent – increase of reusability of waste material
- Retannage: Adjusting leather character. Innovation – X-Biomer: New bio-based chemicals
“By combining these technologies we show that in many ways a more sustainable leather production can be achieved. This applies for example to the effluent load in tanneries.”
– Dr. Marc Hombeck, Head of New Business at Lanxess’ Leather business unit.
THE VISION
The Green Leather Crust innovation can contribute to:
- A significant reduction of COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) in effluent load
- Lowering the sludge amount
- Decrease in sulfur content in liming float
- Reduced use of chemicals