09.06.2021

RI-LEATHER: THE HAIR FROM TANNING WASTE TO A NEW RESOURCE

Encouraging results continue to emerge from the analyzes conducted within the RI-LEATHER project, carried out using the POR FESR 2014-2020 funding from the Veneto Region.

The project aims to develop products and technologies for the reduction of hazardous and polluting substances, the reuse and recycling of leather processing waste.

In particular, Biodermol Ambiente is committed to the development of an enzymatic liming process capable of both depilating the skins in the absence of reducing agents such as sulphide, and keeping the hair, which can then be revalued as a by-product.

The analyzes carried out by SEM microscopic investigation on the hair obtained after filtration confirm the good state of conservation:

absence of microorganisms such as molds, fungi or bacteria
absence of water that allows the proliferation of microorganisms
non-hydrolyzed, dry and clean hair

The condition of the hair is essential for it to be reused as a by-product, rather than having to be treated as waste, and these analyzes therefore open the doors to possible new uses.

Specific tests have been conducted to compare the hair recovered thanks to this method with other commonly used fibers of animal origin, such as cashmere, traditional sheep's wool and llama.

From the first experiments it was possible to observe how it is possible to introduce the hair in some textile articles and, even if the process still requires many steps to be optimized, the results are certainly promising.

This project is in line with the long-term objectives of our company which is committed every day to propose the replacement at the level of industrial processes of potentially harmful chemicals with bio-based products.

Thanks to the use of White Line products, developed thanks to a long and intense research activity in our laboratories, it was possible to optimize a liming recipe with the absence of sulphides, an indispensable requirement for the reuse of the hair as well as important for reducing the environmental impact of tanning processes.

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