Abstract

The studies carried out have shown that chitosan possesses high cross-linking properties enabling it to be used for intensifying the process of chrome tanning thus decreasing the consumption of chromium salts and, at the same time, increasing the shrinkage temperature of the leather. IRspectroscopy has shown that interaction between chitosan and collagen is likely to involve oxygen from the C–O–C groups, hydroxyl groups and amine groups of chitosan and the functional groups of collagen, which form bonds of different types. On increasing the consumption of chitosan in treating hides there is rise in the maximum destruction rate temperature for dermal collagen, which was obtained by DTA for chitosan-chromium-tanned leather. The optimum consumption of formic chitosan is 2% of the hide mass at a chromium level of 0.5% of the hide mass calculated as chromium oxide. In this case, the necessary plasto-elastic properties of the leather are provided, and the shrinkage temperature is 92°C.