Biomass-based curing agents for sustainable leather processing

06 October 2023, Version 1
This content is a preprint and has not undergone peer review at the time of posting.

Abstract

The biomass utilization without purification and fractionation through a non-selective manner is the best option for high conversion efficiency. Leftover and abundant plant biomass can be a source of preservatives if they keep antimicrobial activity against spoilage microorganisms. Traditionally, 50% w/w sodium chloride (NaCl) is employed for hides and skin preservation (curing). However, enormous water pollution, aquatic toxicity, soil infertility, and high chemical consumption make it questionable. This study investigates biomass-based curing (BBC) agents from Cynodon dactylon grass and Alzibia lebbeck leaves. The plant’s dry powder was directly applied over goatskin and evaluated curing efficiencies. The BBC formulations were user-friendly, highly biomass conversion efficiency (41-53% of raw wt.) and antimicrobial activity (against E. coli: 17-18 mm and B. subtilis: 15-17 mm), and preserved goatskin for 30 days like NaCl. It reduced the salinity and total dissolved solids (TDS) load from tannery-soaking effluent by 67-74% and 41-65%, respectively. The environmental efficiency index (EEI) revealed that BBC systems (EEI: 29.9-31.3) are around 1.5 times more environmentally sustainable than conventional curing (EEI: 20.7). Besides, the alternatives have no effect on the features of final leather. In conclusion, the ecofriendly BBC agents have the potential to minimize the heavy pollution of salt curing.

Keywords

Leather
Environmental Sustainability
Green Chemistry
Goatskin Preservation
Biomass as Resources
Biomaterials
C. dactylon
and A. lebbeck

Supplementary materials

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Title
Supplementary Information of "Biomass derived curing agents for sustainable leather processing"
Description
This supplementary material contains No. of Table: 14, No. of Figure: 06
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