Abstract

In the processes of leather dressing as well as in nontanned hide processing, there are considerable losses of collagen. Half of the hide collagen is rejected as waste products from the technological process.

The methods of leather waste utilization have been reviewed by Przepiórkowska et al. The literature suggests that leather wastes often are not chemically treated, while their properties such as fibrous character, heat stability, sorption capabilities and increased friction coefficient are utilized. However, the methods of detanning, chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis of chrome tanned wastes yield various forms of degraded collagen. According to many researchers, the detanning of chrome tanned wastes always fail to recover collagen protein in its original form. According to Heidemann, most of the long existing methods for the utilization of chrome tanned wastes cannot be practically implemented. In this connection it is necessary to develop such utilization methods that could provide products whose price would make up for the costs of raw materials and processing. This problem has been studied at the Institute of Polymers. The present study is aimed at the management of difficult wastes such as shavings of chrome tanned leathers from the tanning industry.

The waste collagen was utilized to produce elastomer composites. The incorporation of protein into a rubber compound containing synthetic isoprene rubber should provide a product with properties similar to those of a natural rubber mix, as it is well known that natural rubber contains some amount of protein in its composition.