Abstract

The wet salting method, which is mostly used for hide or skin curing employs approximately 40- 50% sodium chloride on raw material weight, this salt is subsequently removed during soaking thus significantly increasing pollution in tannery wastewaters. The application of alternative short term preservation methods can lead to a substantial decrease in materials consumption.

Treatment with a mixture of acetic and benzoic acids is proposed as a short term preservation method for pigskins. Preservation for 16 days at 22 ± 1°C was achieved.

The changes in the preserved skin structure during treatment and storage have no influence on the processed leather’s chemical and strength properties, which are on a par with the properties of leather produced from pigskins preserved by the salting.