Objectives

The present project aims at demonstrating the use of an innovative technology for the defatting phase of the leather tanning process, with the goal of producing new or existing products with a significantly higher eco-sustainability profile.

The specific technical goal of the project consists in the demonstration of use of a new category of products of natural origin, capable of substituting chlorinated currently used in the defatting phases during the leather tanning cycle.

The main evnvironmental, social and economical goal of ECODEFATTING project will be the replacement of current commercial chemical and toxic products with natural products in the defatting phase of the tannery cycle, in order to establish a significantly eco-sustainable and convenient business for companies. This project will contribute to the protection of the environment and will act primarily for a sustainable development of the leather business through:

  • The use of defatting natural products which do not exceed the legal limits for hazardous substances in leather for the manufacture of leather goods, etc.
  • The use of defatting products which allow leather manufacturers, as consumers of tanned leather, to obtain the European eco-label for their products, ensuring compliance with the eco-label parameters related to leather and its processing (chromium III content in wastewater, arsenic, cadmium and lead content in products, etc.)
  • In the same way, less contamination in wastewater can reduce consumption in the wastewater treatment stage, meaning both savings in the consumption of chemicals for purification (coagulants, flocculants, etc.) and less generation of sludge.
  • Through the study of biodegradability, more biodegradable defatting products can be used, making it easier to implement biological treatments for the purification of wastewater from the tanning sector. In this way, less sludge is generated and the consumption of reagents can be reduced with respect to the physical-chemical systems which traditionally are most used by the sector.

It will be possible to avoid the use of defatting agents which favour the transformation of chromium III into chromium VI due to the disposal of the used leather articles and waste leather from the tanning industry.

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