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Solid Wastes

The leather processing industry produces large amounts of solid organic wastes in the form of un-tanned  (trimmings , fleshings, splits) and tanned (trimmings, splits and shavings) waste from raw hides and skins, semi-provessed leather, as well as sludge as a result of wastewater treatment. If these solid wastes are not properly treated and disposed of, they can cause environmental damage to soil and groundwater as well as emissions of odour and poisonous greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

 This website includes various options for different fractions[icm1]  of solid wastes generated by the leather industry. These options have been successfully implemented by UNIDO. Results and lessons learned are included in this part of the Leather Panel website.

Enzymatic Digestion of Chrome Shavings

Processing of one tonne of raw hides results in approximately 100 kg of wetblue shavings, the utilization and/or safe disposal of which is globally a serious challenge. Currently a part of the chrome shavings is used in the manufacture of leather board by combining with shavings of vegetable tanned leather. There have been also other methods tested and used to convert shavings into sellable product, e.g. application in paper, wood and other industries.

The method described in this report is enzymatic digestion.

Conversion of chrome shavings into usable products employing the technique of enzymatic digestion as developed in the United States of America and already implemented in a 3 tonnes/day commercial plant in the Czech Republic. Three products, namely, gelatable protein, protein hydrolyzate and filter cake are obtained from enzymatic digestion of chrome shavings. While the products obtained find use in construction and plywood industry and also as nitrogenous fertilizer, the chrome-containing filter cake can be used as a reducing agent in the preparation of basic chromium sulphate.

The method was successfully demonstrated at pilot scale in India using wooden tanning drums.

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PDF icon Enzymatic Digestion of Chrome Shavings

Case Study: Leather Industry Parks (Planning, implementation, benefits, challenges and experience)

Historically, for various reasons, tanneries have been generally found in clusters in many countries. In several countries that still possess a strong tanning industry, the industry has either been able to deal collectively with the environmental challenges by means of common waste treatment facilities in existing clusters (e.g. India, Italy, Pakistan) or is in the process of relocation.

Within almost all projects of tannery relocation there are common reasons and the main problems faced by the industry at the current location are:

With no infrastructure for treatment of solid or liquid waste generated by tanneries, a very unhygienic atmosphere has been created in the entire locality due to discharge/disposal of untreated solid and liquid wastes.

Due to extreme limitations of space, even tanneries wanting to modernize and become more efficient in terms of production and environment management are unable to do so. The present location, in this manner, has become a serious constraint for the growth of the industry.

Downstream industries such as footwear, leather garment and leather goods, depend on the tanning industry for supply of quality leather. The existing limitations have put a limit to the growth of leather products industries.

Relocation of the tanneries to a more spacious location with appropriate infrastructure for efficient and cost effective treatment of solid and liquid wastes has thus become a prerequisite for survival and growth of the leather industry in such cases.

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PDF icon case_study_leather_industrial_parks_p.pdf

Composting of Tannery Sludge

Generally 35-60% of the total solids in tannery sludge is organic matter. A number of solutions for utilization and/or safe disposal of tannery sludge have been proposed, practiced, tested and applied at pilot and industrial scale. Composting is one of these options and this report describes results of tests and application of sludge composting on low, non-mechanized scale together with its utilization as soil conditioner for nonedible plants.

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PDF icon composting_of_tannery_sludge.pdf

Safe Landfill for Disposal of Sludge from Tannery Effluent Treatment Plants

Utilization or safe disposal of sludge generated by tannery effluent treatment plants poses a challenge worldwide; landfill disposal should be considered only in case when no other viable option is possible.  Unfortunately, in some areas and/or developing countries properly designed and constructed landfills are not available either.
With the technical assistance of UNIDO, CETP-Ranitec in Ranipet, Tamil Nadu, India, established a low cost pilot scale demonstration landfill in October 1997, the first of its kind in the region. The report describes requirements for a safe landfill disposal and practical recommendations for replication.

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PDF icon safe_landfill_for_disposal_of_sludge_from_tannery_etps.pdf

Application of Fleshing to Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor for Biogas Generation

Typically only a small part of fleshings is used for manufacture of glue and animal protein while the major part is dumped as waste at landfill or disposed of along with other solid wastes. The unutilised fleshings, containing high concentration of lime and sulfide, putrefy and produce obnoxious odour. They also cause groundwater pollution, attract flies, rodents and stray dogs and thus represent a public nuisance. Due to high moisture content handling and transportation of fleshings is quite difficult. On the other hand, one tonne of wet fleshing with 85% moisture is estimated to generate 20-30 m3 of biogas. To solve the disposal problem of fleshings, one of the options considered and tested during UNIDO Regional Programme in South-East Asia was biomethanation. The results of testing at the pilot plant, the first of its kind in the region, are given in this report.

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PDF icon application_of_fleshing_to_upflow_anaerobic_sludge_blanket_reactor_for_biogas_generation.pdf

Biomethanation of Fleshings and Sludge from Tannery Effluent Treatment Plants

With increasing pressure from the pollution control authorities, tanners in many countries of South East Asia region are faced with the urgent task of utilization or safe disposal of solid wastes from tanneries, particularly fleshings. Likewise, sludge generated by tannery effluent treatment plants has to be either put to use or safely disposed. These two issues were highlighted by the industry and government representatives of countries participating in the Regional programme for South-East Asia.

The report contains details of the large scale pilot project implemented under Programme, characteristics of fleshings and sludge charged to the digestors, volume of gas generated vis-à-vis projection, coping with the hydrogen sulphide gas (H2S) and the many valuable lessons learnt. Details of the problems encountered – both process-related and mechanical – have been narrated. At the time of the report preparation (2002) it was the only operational plant of its kind in the world

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PDF icon biomethanation_of_fleshings_and_sludge_from_tannery_effluent_treatment_plants.pdf

Costs of Tannery Waste Treatment

Towards the end of the 20th century the tanning industry has made a considerable progress in controlling the environmental pollution caused by its activities, yet the situation varies from country to country and even from region to region within some large countries. Some tanners in industrialized countries hold the view that lax environmental regulations and poor enforcement account for lower production costs, higher competitiveness and hence further expansion of the tanning industry in developing countries.

This study compares the costs of treatment of tannery effluents, including indicative investments costs in selected industrialized and developing countries. While the figures concerning the investment and operational costs by now are quite obsolete and technologies change, the comparisons of the cost structures are still quite elightening.

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PDF icon Costs of Tannery Waste Treatment, J. Buljan

Desalting of Raw Hides/Skins and Reuse of Dusted Salt in Pickling Operation

Due to climatic conditions the scope for green processing is limited in many countries, sodium chloride is widely used to preserve raw hides and skins. It contributes to a high volume of total dissolved solids (TDS) in the soak waste liquor. No commercially viable technology for treating effluent has been developed to date. A large amount of the salt sticking to the hide and skin surface can be removed by shaking the hides mechanically or manually.
Within the framework of the UNIDO regional programme for pollution control in the tanning industry in South-East Asia, a pilot demonstration unit was set up to demonstrate different options for

(a) desalting hides and skins prior to soaking and

(b) reusing dusted salt in the pickling operation after purifying the salt recovered.

This report covers the demonstrations carried out during the period January 1997 to February 2001 of desalting of salted raw stock and use of the recovered salt in pickling.

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PDF icon desalting_of_raw_hides_skins_salt_reuse.pdf
PDF icon Fact Sheet: desalting of raw hides and skins

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