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Cleaner processing: a sulphide—free approach for depilation of skins

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Abstract

The conventional unhairing process in leather making utilises large amount of lime and sodium sulphide which is hazardous and poses serious waste disposal concerns. Under acidic conditions, sodium sulphide liberates significant quantities of hydrogen sulphide which causes frequent fatal accidents. Further, the conventional unhairing process involves destruction of the hair leading to increased levels of biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total dissolved solids (TDS) and total suspended solids (TSS) in the effluent. A safe approach is needed to overcome such environmental and health problems through an eco-benign process. The present study deals with a clean technology in which the keratinous body is detached from the dermis using enzymes produced from Bacillus crolab MTCC 5468 by solid state fermentation (SSF) as an alternative to noxious chemicals. Complete unhairing of skin could be achieved with an enzyme concentration of 1.2 % (w/w). The bio-chemical parameters of the spent liquor of the enzymatic process were environmentally favourable when compared with conventional method. The study indicates that the enzymatic unhairing is a safe process which could be used effectively in leather processing to alleviate pollution and health problems.

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Acknowledgment

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi for funding this research and are thankful to the Director, CSIR—Central Leather Research Institute for his support. The authors also thank “Science and Technology Revolution in Leather with a Green Touch” (STRAIT)—1180.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi, 110 001, India

    Ammasi Ranjithkumar & Jayanthi Durga

  2. Department of Biotechnology, CSIR—Central Leather Research Institute, Adyar, Chennai, 600020, India

    Chellan Rose

  3. Leather Processing Division, CSIR—Central Leather Research Institute, Adyar, Chennai, 600020, India

    Ramakrishnan Ramesh & Chellappa Muralidharan

Authors
  1. Ammasi Ranjithkumar
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  2. Jayanthi Durga
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  3. Ramakrishnan Ramesh
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  4. Chellan Rose
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  5. Chellappa Muralidharan
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Chellan Rose or Chellappa Muralidharan.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Ranjithkumar, A., Durga, J., Ramesh, R. et al. Cleaner processing: a sulphide—free approach for depilation of skins. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 180–188 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7645-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7645-6

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