Description
The project, developed by Curtits Badia S.A. with the help of Fundació CTM Centre Tecnològic and CETI, is needed because the tanning industry remains a potentially pollution-intensive sector, European leather producers must exploit more efficiently their inputs and raw materials improving their processes, incorporating eco-innovative technologies. The main objective of CURTBIENTAL project is the development of a new environmentally sustainable technology for leather processing. Specifically, the scale-up to pre-industrial scale of a full oxidative unhairing tanning process, that avoids the use of sulphur compounds. The process will also take benefit from the different strategies that arises from the new tanning process, regarding by-products recovery, mainly proteins, and for conditioning and reuse of spent baths. The success of the project will help the tanning sector, allowing the minimization of the overall environmental impact of their process and the improvement of working conditions, without sulphur malodours, and eliminating the risk of exposition to toxic gases, such as H2S.
Summary of project results
The tanning industry is a potentially pollution-intensive sector. Furthermore, leather processing involves a combination of single and multistep operations. Products with optimal quality requires that all operations are performed correctly. The main objective, planned and completely achieved during the CURTBIENTAL project have been the development of a new environmentally sustainable technology for leather processing that improve both quality and environmental profile of tanned leather. It is based in a new tanning process that avoids the use of sulphur compounds, based on full oxidative unhairing, combining the use of H2O2 and enzymes. Additionally, working conditions have been improved too thanks to elimination of risk due to the use of sulphur. For the company,the impact of CURTBIENTAL will be decisive in next future. Almost 90% of products will be obtained by this new process in the short term, contributing to the sustainability of both the company and the project outcomes.
Summary of bilateral results