Investigation of innovative tanning agents

Leather making is a traditional industry, based on converting putrescible matter into non-putrescible matter, with enhanced properties of duration and flexibility. Leather is one of the byproducts of the meat industry and leather making is, then, the ultimate example of adding value: an unwanted byproduct from one industry is turned into a material with a wide range of applications. Today, large quantities of reagents, some of which are toxic and polluting, and large amounts of water are used in the leather production process. Therefore, tanning sustainably is a topic of primary importance, in order to avoid damage to human health and to the environment. The aim of this thesis is the synthesis of potential bio-based wet-white tanning agents, based on sodium alginate and oxidised sodium alginate, and the testing of these on collagen powder. In order to develop an innovative and sustainable protocol for leather suitable for automotive and upholstery, tanning, retanning, dyeing and fatliquoring tests were also carried out, using a zero-length cross-linking tanning agent previously developed by the research group.