Benefits and problems of chrome tanning in leather processing: Approach a greener technology in leather industry

Abstract

Tanning is the process of converting the raw skin and hides from different animals into a sustainable and manageable material called leather. Leather making is a very long process and consists of many different chemical and mechanical process steps. The most important step of the whole leather making process is the tanning step, which is performed commonly either by vegetable or mineral tanning. More than 85-90% of the leather making is performed by chrome tanning, which is the most common type of mineral tanning currently applied.