Effect of Enzymatic Treatment in Leather Manufacture at Different Processing Stage

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GC Jayakumar
V Karthik
S Jeyas Kandhan
J Kanagaraj

Abstract

The use of cleaner leather processing technologies is of great interest today due to the global trends favoring environmentally friendly manufacturing. Modernization and implementation of new technologies, like enzyme-driven catalysis instead of conventional inorganic catalysis, can improve the quality and reduce the cost of leather manufacturing while making the leather more environmentally sustainable. The use of enzymes in pre-tanning operations is a well-known technology. However, a holistic view of the effect of enzymes at various stages of leather processing is limited. We attempt to bridge this gap by studying the influence of enzymes on the characteristics of crust leather at multiple locations of leather processing. Trypsin was used to assess the enzymatic action on delimed pelts, while pepsin was used to evaluate the impact of enzyme treatment on a pickled pelt that was later chrome tanned.


Similarly, papain was used to study enzymatic activity on neutralized, chrome-tanned leather. The selection of enzymes for three different materials was guided by the optimal activity behavior of the enzymes. It is observed that the physical strength characteristics of the enzyme-treated leathers show minor differences. Hence, this study aims to explore the unconventional application of enzymes at various stages of leather processing.

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