Résumé : |
Considerable progress has been made in reducing tannery waste but there is a renewed challenge for leather chemists to develop new technologies to cope with increasingly stringent regulations. They must also ensure that environmental legislation is reasonable, especially when it impacts on the use of chromium 3. The ecological effects of chromium 3 are reviewed and it is argued that chrome tanning is a sustainable process.
CSIRO research has focused on the development of processes to minimize waste. Three approaches have been taken: waste reduction by improving the quality of hides, skins and leather, effluent minimization and the utilization of waste products. The research has included improving or eliminating preservation of hides and skins, the Siroskin anti-felting process for woolskin processing, direct chrome-liquor recycling, recycling of unhairing liquors, the Sirolime unhairing processes reduce salt levels and this is most important in inland areas, especially where tannery effluent is used for irrigation. Research projects in progress include a rapid, ammonia-free, carbon dioxide deliming process for unsplit hides, improved exhaustion and fixation of chrome, white tannages and better utilization of Australian sheepskins. |