In the tannage operation tanning agents are used in order to prevent the leather from chemical and thermal degradation. The most common tanning agent is the chromium basic sulfate. It enters the pores of the skin by a diffusion process to react with the collagen carboxyl groups and to form inter- and intramolecular cross-linking which results in physical, chemical, and biological stability.
The exhausted bath coming from the chromium tannage contains about 30 % of the initial salt content and it is normally sent to a cleaning-up plant. Here chromium salts end up into the sludges creating serious problems for their disposal.
Proposed process scheme for the chromium recovery from exhausted chromium baths
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References
Cassano A, Drioli E, Molinari R, Bertolutti C (1996) Quality improvement of recycled chromium in the tanning operation by membrane processes. Desalination 108:193–203
Cassano A, Della Pietra L, Drioli E (2007) Integrated membrane process for the recovery of chromium salts from tannery effluents. Ind Eng Chem Res 46:6825–6830
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Cassano, A. (2016). Leather Processing, Chromium Recovery. In: Drioli, E., Giorno, L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Membranes. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44324-8_1883
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44324-8_1883
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