Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Based Skin Preservation: Solving the Soak Liquor Effluent Crisis of the Leather Industry

Salt-based preservation of hides/skins contributes to about 50% total dissolved solids (TDS) in tannery wastewaters. In this study, raw skins have been preserved by exposing them to a continuous flow of supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2) in a pressurized reactor. The process was carried out in reactors of two different capacities to ensure scalability. The skins thus dried could be stored at room temperature for a period of 30 days. The SCCO2–dried skins were less conducive for microbial growth than wet-salted skins. The soak liquor of SCCO2–dehydrated skin showed a 90% reduction in chloride content and significantly lower BOD and COD levels than soak liquor from wet-salted skins. The leathers produced from SCCO2-preserved skins and wet-salted skin had no significant quality differences. As SCCO2 systems have been reported as alternatives to all other unit operations, establishing SCCO2–based preservation will complete the circle of total leather manufacture with SCCO2.