Study on Reutilization of Wet-blue Leather Wastes for the Production of Regenerated Leather Composite

Abstract

In this paper, the possibility of making use of wet-blue leather wastes on a large scale through a nonwoven method was investigated. Firstly, collagen fibers were extracted from the wastes and their structure was characterized. The water absorbency of collagen fibers was tested and compared with that of wool and silk fibers. Then, we successfully developed a composite of regenerated collagen fibers on a base layer of PA/PET and viscose fiber, and tested their physical properties. The results indicated that most of the extracted short collagen fibers existed in bundles, their fibers’ length were in the range of 25-45 mm, and their finesse was in the range of 2-5ìm. The extent of water absorption of collagen fibers was similar to that of wool fiber. The collagen fiber composite on the base layer of PA/PET had good tensile and tearing strength. Moreover, the composite had good moisture permeability with the viscose fibers as a support base layer.