Oral · Pages 224–228
Abstract
Research summary supplied by the authors
The leather industry worldwide is continuously improving the sustainability by reducing water and energy consumption, by recycling and by reducing solid waste generation and disposal. Tanneries have successfully reduced their water usage for leather processing with membrane-based water recycling plants achieving up to 75% water recycling. The implementation of energy effi cient effl uent treatment systems, using effi cient pumps, blowers and biological aeration has demonstrated that energy consumption of effl uent treatment can be reduced by more than 50%. The installation of solar power heaters for hot water production have reached the goal of 100% renewable hot water production for leather processing and sludge drying. Sludge dryers operated with renewable heat achieve a reduction of the disposable sludge volumes by 2/3. Many tanneries are reducing and reutilising their waste in a productive manner by recovering chrome, gelatine and tallow to produce biodiesel. Solid waste is converted in biogas- or gasifi cation plants to a renewable source of heat and energy, contributing up to 98.5 % of energy usage for a tannery in Germany and in the UK. With the implementation of sustainable measures many tanneries worldwide have achieved a great reduction of environmental impacts and cost savings, by reducing their water and energy usage and by reducing costs of solid-waste handling and landfi ll.