Leather/Skin/Hide Processing Industry - Environmental Clearance

Leather / Skin / Hide Processing Industry (Tannery)Tanning operationsPost-tanning and finishing operationsFurthermore, tanneries employ abatement techniques for the treatment of wastewater,solid waste and air emissions generated during these processes. Operations carried out inthe beam house, tanyard, and post-tanning areas are often referred to as wet processes, asthey are performed in processing vessels such as drums. After post-tanning, the leather issubjected to dry finishing operations.Processes employed in each of the above categories change depending on the rawmaterials used and the final desired products. Hence the environmental impacts varyfrom tannery to tannery and a more detailed assessment is necessary at each unit/site.3.2.1 Process of tanningThe process of converting raw hides and skins into leather is called tanning. Theoperations falling in pre-tanning, tanning and post-tanning operations are depicted in thefigure below:Figure 3-2: Tanning ProcessBrief process description of each step is discussed in the sections below:TGM for Tanneries August 20103-3