Waterless chrome tanning a relief for environment
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, August 26
Coming a major relief for thousands of villagers residing on the banks of Kala Sanghian and the connecting water bodies, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai, has developed a ‘Waterless Chrome Tanning Technology’ (WLCT) and intends to promote it at the leather complex in a three-day demonstration and workshop beginning from Monday.
SK Mishra, Chief Scientist and incharge, CLRI, said the project ‘Research Initiative for Waterless Tanning’ (RIWT) had been adopted under the 12th five-year plan.
He explains the technology, “Chrome tanning is carried out without water. And pickling and basification are averted. Penetration and fixation is achieved equivalent to the conventional chrome tanning method. Apart from addressing the issue of chromium discharge, this technology also brings about the benefits of reduction in total dissolved solids load. The quality of leathers thus produced is also found to be better than the leather produced in the conventional manner.”
He adds, “CSIR-CLRI has taken the initiative of marketing this technology. On June 5, 2016, marking the World Environmental Day, Erode Tannery Owners’ Association and CLRI organised the workshop on ‘Roadmap on Sustainable Growth of Erode Leather Sector’ and an MoU was signed to transfer the pickle-free waterless chrome tanning technology in the tanneries of Erode. Similarly, demonstration of this technology has been carried our recently in Kanpur leather sector between July 25-28.”
On similar lines, Jalandhar leather sector has been identified as another important cluster to transfer the pickle-free waterless chrome tanning technology, he said. “Demonstration of this technology will be conducted in three tanneries from August 29-31 and after the demonstration it is planned to conduct a workshop on August 31”, he added.
There is cost factor involved too as the expert tells that a tannery producing wet blue from 5 tons of hide would be able to save about Rs 1 lakh per month by means of reducing the chromium offer and also through dispensing with chromium recovery. Therefore, this technology provides viable solution to address the issue of chromium and additionally brings about financial benefit.
Chromium is known as the king of tanning as it is widely used for tanning. Out of 1.8 billion sq feet of annual global leather production, about 1.6 billion sq feet is made using chromium. The average uptake of chromium by the pelt during tanning is only about 60 per cent out of the chrome tanning agent offered. About 40,000 tons of basic chromium sulphate (BCS) is discharged globally by the leather industry every year.
