Abstract

In order to promote the development of clean production of leather-making and to re-cycle the cattle hair from a hair-saving process, the hair is hydrolysed and may in some circumstances find an application. But, because the cattle hair hydrolysate has a small molecular weight and poor properties in retanning of leather, it was modified with vinyl monomers by radical co-polymerisation using ammonium persulfate at 80°C for 3 hours to obtain a bio-polymer retanning agent. Comparing the viscosity and retanning properties of the bio-polymer retanning agent, the mol ratio of acrylic acid, acrylamide used was confirmed to be 4.0:1.0 and the consumption of acrylic acid, acrylamide is 80% based on the content of the hydrolysate. The structure of the bio-polymer retanning agent was characterised by FTIR. Application results of the bio-polymer retanning agent on the retanning of the shaved sheepskin wet-blue show that it has good retanning and filling properties. When the optimal consumption of the bio-polymer retanning agent is in the range of 6% and 8%, the retanned leather is full, more uniform than before and lacks any plastic feeling.