Content: A novel class of bio-based polymers have been developed within the LIFE BIOPOL European project aiming to replace traditional re-tanning and fat-liquoring products reducing environmental impacts and increasing the safety of leather. The purpose of the project is to enhance the recovery and reuse of different bio-derived by-products from leather and agro-industrial sector to produce eco-friendly and renewable bio-polymers with high re-tanning and fat-liquoring characteristics. The LIFE BIOPOL project aims to make bio-based polymers in order to reduce the following parameters in re-tanning phase: - 20-30% COD, - 50-60% of inorganic salts (Sulphates and Chlorides), - 90% of Cr (III) salts, - 20% of water used in the leather process. Other important goals of the project are: - reduction 70-90% of hazardous and environmental polluting substances normally found in conventional chemicals, - reactivity enhancement of 30-40% of the new biopolymers compared to the current leather - application technology, - reduction of 70-80% of the Product Environmental Footprint of the new biopolymers related to the state of the art. The vegetal biomasses and the tanned hides by-products were pretreated in order to obtain suitable building blocks for the production of bio-based polymers. Several protocols involving polymerization were used in order to achieve the synthesis of the biopolymers, which have been carried out at lab scale. Macromolecular characterization of the biopolymers was performed in order to rationalize the synthetic strategy and practical application of the products giving important parameters such as molecular weight and chemical composition of the new biopolymers. Performances of new bio-based polymers have been inspected and compared with traditional chemicals through application on different types of leather. The benefits of the new products within leather making process were evaluated through chemical analyses of re-tanning and fat-liquoring effluents. The upgrade of the developed chemistry will be performed within a new devised prototype plant specifically designed and built-up for producing the bio-based polymers at industrial scale Take-Away: Production of leather making biopolymers from biomasses and industrial by-products through Life Cycle Designed Processes

Content: Acrylic resin (AR) is a most popular retanning agent due to its selective filling property and advantage of formaldehyde-free. The retanning performance of acrylic resin mainly depends on its penetration depth and filling parts in leather. Therefore, to improve the retanning performance, it is necessary to fully understand the factors affecting the mass transfer and the distribution of acrylic resin in leather. We have found that the structure and the charge of leather and the dosage of acrylic resin rather than the molecular weight of acrylic resin are important factors affecting the penetration rate of acrylic resin in crust leather by using fluorescent tracer technique. In this study, from the view of electrostatic interaction, effects of neutralizing pH and retanning auxiliaries such as phenol sulfonic acid condensation (PSAC) and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) on the penetration and the distribution of acrylic resin in crust leather were investigated. Higher neutralizing pH led to a faster transfer of acrylic resin in leather because of the decrease in the positive charges of chrome-tanned leather (isoelectric point 7.1) and the increase in the negative charges of acrylic resin. Employing PSAC and CMC enhanced acrylic resin transfer in crust leather due to the dramatic increase in the negative charges of acrylic resin. These results indicated that decreasing the electrostatic binding force between acrylic resin and crust leather is beneficial to the penetration of acrylic resin in leather, which could be achieved by adjusting the neutralizing pH or using acrylic resin together with proper retanning auxiliaries. Take-Away: 1. Using phenol sulfonic acid condensation and sodium carboxymethylcellulose enhanced acrylic resin transfer in crust leather. 2. Decreasing electrostatic binding force between acrylic resin and crust leather is beneficial to penetration of acrylic resin in leather. 3. Increasing neutralizing pH or using proper retanning auxiliaries can decrease the electrostatic interaction between acrylic resin and crust leather effectively.

Content: Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCRs) for calculating the environmental impact of leather manufacturing were approved by the European Commission in 2018. Chemicals are key input data for this methodology, given leather’s chemically intensive makeup. The increasing use of nonpetrochemical materials represents an important part of industry-wide efforts to reduce overall environmental impact. Though still in its infancy, research and commercial use of renewable raw materials for leather chemicals is expected to accelerate in the coming years, especially with regard to understanding the environmental impact of bio-based products. Indeed, when decisions are made to substitute fossil fuel-derived products with alternative bio-based versions, a common assumption is that a reduction in environmental footprint will accompany that substitution. However, reports have been published that challenge this view1,2,3. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of environmental impact data for bio-based polyurethanes and to interpret the data in order to make better decisions about further research and product design. Take-Away: Environmental impact is not just about Climate Change

Content: Today, automotive leather has to meet a multitude of requirements for different automotive brands. In addition to the important traditional aesthetic properties, such as the feel and appearance of the leather, a growing number of measurable specification parameters have been added over time. One of these parameters are the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) which the final leather article emits. The large number of emission specifications, each with its own limits, represents a major challenge in the development of automotive leather today. Each of these methods has a slightly different substance focus and highlights certain groups of volatile substances in the test result. This often makes a targeted development for a certain leather article with associated test method necessary. The recurring question of how to further reduce the emissions of automotive leather is answered by presenting the latest developments from the Leverkusen laboratories as one focus of this work. The increasingly profound measurement of the emissions over the last decades has led to VOCs becoming reduced from grams to micrograms per kilogram of leather. Most probably because of this dramatic reduction in VOC levels, the focus of the regulations has switched today more from quantity of emissions to the properties of single substances emitted. Often the exact source of these substances were initially unknown and consequently a specific solution to meet the limits were not available. The search for the sources is becoming increasingly complex and difficult as many of these substances are not applied directly but are often degradation products of other compounds. Often the measured low concentrations are in the range of the natural decomposition processes. Nevertheless, it is possible to identify some of the sources by evaluating the results of different analytical methods. Thus it is now possible to develop suitable countermeasures. The presentation of the source of special single volatile organic substances as well as their reduction forms a further focus of this work. Take-Away: Reduction of Emissions Finding sources of substances emitted from leather Presenting countermeasures to reduce those substances

Content: Leather industry is one of many traditional, characteristic and ascendant industries. During the development of Leather industry, the problem of a certain the waste of resources and environmental pollution has been yielded. The waste tallow is one of the problems should be solved quickly. Based on the problem of the waste of resources and environmental pollution form the waste tallow during the leather industry, act waste beef tallow from tannery as raw material, detection of its physical and chemical properties, de-colorization, deodorization, amidation, esterification and sulfitation were done successively. Results suggested that the acid value and the saponification value of the waste beef tallow is 45mgKOH/g, 207mgKOH/g respectively. When 6% activated clay was used after 10% hydrogen peroxide, it has the best effect in decolorization and deodorization. When catalyzed by 1% sodium formate, n（ethanolamine）：n （waste beef tallow）is 4:1，the reaction temperature was 130~140oC and time was 2hrs, the acid value and hydroxyl value of the treated beef tallow is 15~30mgKOH/g, about 280mgKOH/g respectively. When the optimum dosage of sodium sulfite is 20%, the fatliquor obtained light yellow and good stability. The sheepskin garment leather fatliquored by this fatliquor is very soft. Take-Away: Modification of a sulfited fatliquor based on waste beef tallow. Application of this sulfited fatliquor. Other methods of modification of waste beef tallow.

Content: A combination of processing techniques and speciality chemicals has been developed to target environmental issues and legislation in the European leather industry, especially for automotive upholstery leather. This process combines new techniques in the beamhouse process through to the tanning process. Initial work on several different individual concepts showed some excellent improvements, but when these concepts have been brought together to form a single strategic process the advantages and improvements have exceeded expectations. The process demonstrates a reduction in the use of salt, formic acid and sulphuric acid. After more than two years of trials from small scale to full production in an automotive leather production environment, we are able to present independently test results showing the benefits of following this system. Briefly these include Improvement in tear and tensile strength results. Improved clarification with less suspended solids in the supernatant. Reduced COD in the supernatant and higher biodegradability COD/BOD. Less TDS in the supernatant. Chloride content reduction in the supernatant Sludge generation reduction. Less organic residues derived from the hide. Take-Away: A simple technique and small modifications to existing processing methods will reduce dramatically the environmental effects of wet white / chrome free tanning. This process can be used in any country in the world and answers many questions regarding reducing salt, BOD, COD, TDS etc.

Content: The research on Collagen that possesses unique fibre structure are reported frequently. In this paper, the cross image of leather fibre of dried wet blue cowhide embedded with and without epoxy resin were investigated with micro computed topography(MCT). The images obtained by MCT of leather fibre are original status without any damage, while the embedded leather can emerge distortion because the fibre was fixed during the solidifying and immersing of the resin. In this research, 2357 images of leather fibre were investigated on wet blue leather(original fibre) and the same piece of leather embedded by epoxy resin(embedded fibre). The area ratio of the sections from the original fibre and the embedded fibre was examined for each image. The statistic results showed that the mode of area ratio of the original fibre section to the entire fibre section is 75%, and the mode of area ratio of the embedded fibre section to the embedded fibre entire section is only 48%. The mode of the area ratio of the original fibre is obviously higher than the mode of the area ratio of the embedded fibre, that is diverse with the anticipation of fibre swelling caused by resin. The reason might be the expansion of interval space among the fibre filled with epoxy resin, otherwise the conglutination of fibre caused by the evaporation of solvent(acetone used in embedding) in the course of the resion solidifying. Likewise, it can be the adhesion of the tiny fibre with the larger fibre that will diminish the area caculated. The factors will be studied further on embedding to achieve a method with minimum deformation on cross image of fibre. Take-Away: The area ratio of cross section on embedded fibre shrunk comparing with the original fibre, that is out of anticipation of the probable swelling created by resin.

Content: The composition, working principle and the image acquisition procedure of nano-CT were introduced. A dried piece of blue stock of chrome-tanned cattle hide was chosen for this work and a sequence of 2356 images was obtained. 3D visible digital models (5mm*3.5mm*3.5mm) of leather fiber bundle braided network (Figure 1) and the interspace between fiber bundles (Figure 2) were reconstructed. The inner structure and composition of leather were shown accurately and intuitively in the form of 2D sectional images and 3D image. Based on the 3D model, the diameter, volume, surface area and other parameters of the fiber bundles, the pore structure and inclusions were measured and calculated. Take-Away: 1. 3D visible digital model of leather fiber bundle braided network was reconstructed. 2. The inner structure and composition of leather were shown accurately and intuitively in the form of 2D sectional images and 3D image.

Content: The understanding of how chemical, physical and environmental parameters work during anaerobic digestion production and waste treatment is an important step in improving the efficiency and process stability. This study provides the evolution of the biogas production and the efficiency of the treatment of the anaerobic digestion of solid wastes of tanneries at-line monitored in batch laboratory-scale bioreactors. Leather shavings and sludge from wastewater treatment plants substrates were considered in the study. The findings suggest that AD of the tannery solid waste can be separated into three phases: a long lag phase, a log phase with a low metabolic rate and the final phase where all the shavings were metabolized. Take-Away: The AD of the tannery solid waste can be separated into three phases: a long lag phase, a log phase with a low metabolic rate and the final phase where all the shavings were metabolized

Content: The braiding structure of leather fibers has not been understood clearly and it is very useful and interesting to study it. Microscopic X-ray tomography (MCT) technology can produce cross-sectional images of the leather without destroying its structure. The three-dimensional structure of leather fibers can be reconstructed by using MCT slice images, so as to show the braiding structure and regularity of leather fibers. The denoising and segmentation of MCT slice images of leather fibers is the basic procedure for three-dimensional reconstruction. In order to study the braiding structure of leather fibers in the round, the image of resinembedded leather fibers MCT slices and in situ leather fibers MCT slices were analyzed and processed. It is showed that the resin-embedded leather fiber MCT slices were quite different from that of in situ leather fiber MCT slices. In-situ leather fiber MCT slice image could be denoised relatively easily. But denoising of resin-embedded leather fiber MCT slice image is a challenge because of its strong noise. In addition, some fiber bundles adhere to each other in the slice image, which are difficult to be segmented. There are many methods of image denoising and segmentation, but there is no general method to process all types of images. In this paper, a series of computer-aided denoising and segmentation algorithms are designed for in-situ MCT slice images of leather fibers and resin-embedded MCT slice images. The fiber bundles in wide field MCT images are distributed densely, adherent to each other. Many fiber bundles are separated in one image and tightly bound in another. This brings great difficulties to image segmentation. To solve this problem, the following segmentation methods are used: Grayscale-threshold segmentation method, The region-growing segmentation method, Three-dimensional image segmentation method. The denoising and segmentation algorithm proposed in this paper has remarkable effect in processing a series of original MCT slice images and resin-embedded leather fibers MCT slice images. A series of threedimensional images based on this work demonstrate the fine spatial braiding structure of leather fiber, which would help us to understand the braiding structure of leather fibers better. Take-Away: presentation ppt, Figures