摘要

The potential of iron as a tanning agent has been known for a long time, but commercial exploitation has been limited because of concerns over loss of strength and darkening of color with time. To overcome these drawbacks, a combination tannage using ferrous sulfate and phenol-condensed polymers is proposed. Trials indicate that a combination tannage using sulfonated urea-phenol-aldehyde- condensed polymer (Sul.) after ferrous sulfate (Fe(II)) treatment produces favorable results. Shrinkage temperatures of up to 90 degrees C were observed, with tensile strength of 238.3 kg/cm(2), tear strength of 73.3 kg/cm, and elongation at break of 62.1%. The Sul.-Fe(II) tanned leather was lighter in color compared to iron tanned leather, and neither a darkening of color or a reduction in strength upon ageing was observed. The combination tanning system also has demonstrable environmental benefits compared to basic chromium sulfate (BCS)-Fe(II) tanning systems. The Sul.-Fe(II) combined system helps to reduce chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total solids (TS) content. Through experiments it is evident that COD, TS loads are reduced by 37.59% and 36.35%, respectively for Fe(II)-Sul. method compared to Fe(II) method. So Fe(II)-Sul. regime developed not only has advantages in reducing pollution loads but also seems to be techno-economically viable.