Processing of Leather by

Microbial Enzyme

Presenter
Name: Halima Islam
ID: B-130605008
5th Batch
Department of Microbiology
Jagannath University, Dhaka
Introduction

1.Animal hides are processed both enzymatically & chemically.

2.Chemical process are hazardous to environment.

3.That’s why alternative enzymatic method are used to process animal

hide(protease, lipase, keratinase).

4.Leather mainly used in binding, furniture making, sports, bags &

luggages.

5.This industry has experienced wide spread popularity since 3000B.C.

6. This industry generates more than 53.8 billion USD worldwide.

Popular Leather made products.
Steps in chemical leather processing

1.Soaking: Rehydration of skin and hides with water.

2.Hair removal : Chemical digestions using sodium sulphide
3.Deliming : Using AlCl3 & Al₂(SO₄)₃ to Increase softness
4.Picking : Neutralization of hides in water, salt, HCL(acid)
5.Tanning : treating skins and hides of animals to produce leather, which is
more durable and less susceptible to decomposition
6.Dyeing : using chromatin, methylene blue.Nigrosin etc.
7.Rolling : to make stronger
Why Microbial Enzymes instead of chemicals?
Advantages-
1.Microbial Enzymes provide alternate
technology to the conventional
methods and can solve pollution
problems.
2.Enzymatic process takes place under
normal environmental conditions such
as ambient pressure, temperature, mild
pH.
3.Enzymatic process are eco-friendly
and produce no harmful by-products.
Disadvantages-
1.The tanning industry is known to be
very polluting especially effluents high
in organic and inorganic dissolved and
suspended solids content.
2.Effluent from tanary industry such as
chromatin content water can
contaminate water resources.
Enzymes used in leather Processing and
their sources
Enzymes Sources Function
Protease Bacillus subtilis They hydrolyze the protein fraction of
dermatan sulfate, making the collagen more
accessible to water and reducing the
attachment of the basal layer.in addition , they
act in the removal of globular proteins.

Lipase Pseudomonas aeroginosa Hydrolyze fats, oils and greases present in the
hypoderm.

Keratinase Aspergillus flavus Hydrolyze the keratin of hair and epidermis

and break down the disulfide bonds of this
molecule.
Commercially available enzymes
 Maps is commercially ready made leather processing enzymes.
 Maps offers a total enzyme solution for bating, dehairing,
degreasing, soaking and beam house processes.
 Maps works at pH -3.5 to 4.
 Temperature 55-60℃.
 Maps easily mixed with distilled water.

Figure: Readymade maps is look

like detergent.
Methods Of Processing

Pretanning Soaking Dehairing Bating

Final
Product Degreasing
Enzymes are applied to process leather
by following regimes
Steps Used pH Temperature Time
Enzymes Required
Pretanning Protease 2.5-4 40-45 22-30 hours
Peptidase
Soaking Commercially 7-7.5 30-37 10-24 hours
readymade
enzymes
Dehairing Keratinase 3.5-6 50-55 6-8 hours
Bating Pancreatic 3-4 55-60 5-7 hours
enzymes
Degreasing Lipase 3-6 55-60 2-4 hours
Final Product

• After completing the processing, this is the final product.

Future Prospective in Bangladesh

• Bangladesh is one of the leading country to export

leather.
• Enzyme application has a golden future here.
• Now in Bangladesh both enzymatic and chemical
process are combindly used, as enzymatic processes
are very expensive.
• But in future using technology and resources, we will
be able to make leather completly in enzymatic way.
Conclusion

• Chemical processing causes environmental pollution and it is

hazardous to living entity.
• Enzymatic process is eco-friendly.
• Tanaries in future will be combination of both enzymatic and
chemical process.
• Future will witness eco-friendly leather.