Leather Industry

Group 8
1. Abdur Rafay
2. Nabeel Malik
3. Abdul Mussawir
4. Jawad Ashraf
 What is Leather?
 Leather is a durable and flexible material created by tanning
animal rawhide and skin, often cattle hide. It can be produced at
manufacturing scales ranging from cottage industry to heavy
industry.
 People use leather to make various goods-including clothing (e.g..
shoes, hats, jackets, skirts, trousers, and belts), bookbinding,
leather wallpaper, and as a furniture covering. It is produced in a
wide variety of types and styles, decorated by a wide range of
techniques
History
 At the time of independence, they were only a few tanneries in
Pakistan.
 In 1950, some were established in Lahore joining areas.
 In the 1980’s the quality of production was improved.
 In the 1990’s the leather sector jump to become the second-
largest foreign earner for the country.
Raw Materials

Skin/Hides:
 From cows, buffaloes, goats and sheep.
 Exotic animals such as alligators, ostriches and kangaroos.
Raw Materials
Tanning Materials:
 Extract from the bark and wood of trees.
 Minerals in the main, trivalent chromium sulphate.
 Aldehydes, formaldehydes, glutaraldehyde.
 Synthetic replacements.
 Types of Leather

Full Grain Leather:

 The strongest and the most durable part of the hide
of an animal.
 It is just below the hair.
 The grain pattern in this part of the hide is very tight
and the leather made from here is called Full Grain
Leather.
 Types of Leather
Top Grain Leather:
 It is of the second highest quality.
 Has had the split layer separated away making it more pliable than top
grain.

Split Grain Leather:

 It is a type of leather produced from the central portion of the hide
usually the middle or lower layer. It is often referred as suede due to its
rough texture
 It is used for making work gloves and shoes
 Types of Leather
Corrected grain leather:
 It is made from the upper part of the hide where the surface has
been polished or buffed. Corrected grain is also top grain
leather

Bonded Leather:
 It is lowest grade of leather
 It is just shredded leather scraps reconstituted with a filter and
backed with polyurethane coating
 Types of Leather
Synthetic leather:
 Synthetic leather is typically made by impregnating non-woven
textiles with polyurethane to bond the material and give it the
mechanical properties and feel (hand) similar to real leather.
 Raw mater used in synthetic leather are PVC and Polyurethane.
 Major steps in leather industry
1. Curing & Soaking
2. Hair Removal
3. Deliming
4. Pickling
5. Tanning
 Chrome Tanning
 Vegetable tanning
6. Dyeing
7. Rolling
8. Finishing
Curing & Soaking:
 Hides are first prepared by curing with salt
 Then hides are rehydrated or re-soaked and washed in large rotating
drums.

Hair Removal:
 Hair is removed by chemical digestion.
 Lime and Sodium sulfide solution.
Delming:
 Hairless hides are then neutralized with acids and treated with
enzymes.
 Removes deposits
 Increase softness

Pickling:
 Hides are then soaked in solution of water, salt and hydrochloric acid
Tanning:

Chrome Tanning:

 More common and produces soft leather.

 Hides are placed in rotating drums and washed in chemical
containing trivalent chrome.
 After 8 hours, the chrome is fixed with alkaline chemical.
Vegetable tanning:
 Vegetable tanning produce stiffer Leathers.
 Slower, 2-4 days.
 Uses tannic acid which is extracted from tree bark.

Dyeing:
 Placed in rotatory drums with hot water, dyes and synthetic tanning
material to obtain the desired colour.
Rolling:
Rolled through a machine to make stronger.
Dried by hanging or dried tumbling.

Finishing:
Finished with coatings of acrylic urethane, vinyl, wax and other chemicals.
How Leather Is Manufactured?
Synthetic leather vs Genuine leather
 Applications

 Shoes and boots

 Jackets and coats
 Belts, upholstery materials and suede products
 Applications

 Saddles
 Gloves, luggage and purses
 Industrial items as buffing wheels and machine belts.
 Environmental Impacts

 Air pollution
 Water contamination
 Contamination of soil
 Contamination due to chrome
 Waste Management in Leather Industry

 Leather industry generates a significant amount of waste

during the manufacturing process.
 Proper waste management is essential for the
sustainability of the industry and to reduce its
environmental impact.
 The three main types of waste generated by the leather
industry are solid waste, liquid waste, and gaseous waste.
 Effective waste management strategies can help to
minimize the amount of waste generated and its negative
impact on the environment.
Waste Management Strategies
 Solid waste: Leather scraps and trimmings can be recycled and
used in the production of other leather products, such as belts
and bags. Alternatively, they can be incinerated to generate
energy.
 Liquid waste: The wastewater generated during the tanning
process contains high levels of organic and inorganic pollutants.
Treatment of this wastewater is necessary to remove the
pollutants before it can be discharged into the environment.
 The tanning process also generates gaseous waste, mainly in the
form of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs can be captured
and treated using thermal or catalytic oxidation to prevent their
release into the environment.
Thank you