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'Green' leather is in this season
October 08, 2007Fashionista's after the latest in leather bags could soon have a 'greener' selection to choose from. Scientists in India have modified the tanning process making it far more eco-friendly, reports Anne Pichon in Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI.
Tanning is a complex chemical process used to transform perishable raw hides and skins into durable leather. Unfortunately, as a result, high levels of pollution are released into the water. Raghava Rao and his team at the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) in Adyar have modified the process to make it into an eco-friendly, cost-efficient method.
The researchers found that simply reversing the order of the tanning and post-tanning steps can drastically improve the process. By also promoting non-chemical-based pre-tanning methods, they have reduced the amount chemicals released by 82% and made an energy saving of nearly 40% (Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, doi: 10.1002/jctb.1727).
According to Rao, "The significance is tremendous in the context of environmental challenges being faced by the leather industry". Most importantly, no loss of the leather quality was observed when compared with conventional tanning methods.
Society of Chemical Industry
According to Rao, "The significance is tremendous in the context of environmental challenges being faced by the leather industry". Most importantly, no loss of the leather quality was observed when compared with conventional tanning methods.
Society of Chemical Industry
Eco-friendly Current Events and Eco-friendly News RSSTrack your fitness, environmental impact with new cell phone applications
Planning on gobbling a few extra treats this holiday season? Soon, your cell phone may be able to help you maintain your exercise routine and keep the pounds off over winter months, without your having to lift a finger to keep track.
NC State Researchers Get to Root of Nematode Genome
North Carolina State University scientists and colleagues have completed the genome sequence and genetic map of one of the world's most common and destructive plant parasites - Meloidogyne hapla, a microscopic, soil-dwelling worm known more commonly as the northern root-knot nematode.
Queen's researchers provide solution to world's worst mass poisoning case
A solution to the world's worst case of ongoing mass poisoning, linked to rising cancer rates in Southern Asia, has been developed by researchers from Queen's University Belfast.
The drivers of tropical deforestation are changing, say scientists
A shift from poverty-driven to industry-driven deforestation threatens the world's tropical forests but offers new opportunities for conservation, according to an article coauthored by William Laurance of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.
University of Pennsylvania Researchers Demonstrate a Flexible, One-Step Assembly of Nanoscale Structures
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have created a one-step, repeatable method for the production of functional nanoscale patterns or motifs with adjustable features, size and shape using a single master "plate."
Ancient Oak Trees Help Reduce Global Warming, MU Study Finds
The battle to reduce carbon emissions is at the heart of many eco-friendly efforts, and researchers from the University of Missouri have discovered that nature has been lending a hand. Researchers at the Missouri Tree Ring Laboratory in the Department of Forestry discovered that trees submerged in freshwater aquatic systems store carbon for thousands of years, a significantly longer period of time than trees that fall in a forest, thus keeping carbon out of the atmosphere.
Virginia Tech researchers find human virus in chimpanzees
After studying chimpanzees in the wilds of Tanzania's Mahale Mountains National Park for the past year as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, Virginia Tech researcher Dr. Taranjit Kaur and her team have produced powerful scientific evidence that chimpanzees are becoming sick from viral infectious diseases they have likely contracted from humans.
A boost for bamboo-based blouses and blankets
Rising interest in "sustainable" fabrics is fostering a bamboo boom, in which bamboo-based fabrics are hitting the market as a leading eco-friendly textile.
Smithsonian scientists highlight environmental impacts of biofuels
Biofuels reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in comparison to fossil fuels. In the Jan. 4 issue of the journal Science, Smithsonian researchers highlight a new study that factors in environmental costs of biofuel production. Corn, soy and sugarcane come up short.
Putting the brakes on bike thieves
Technology being developed at the University of Leeds could put the brakes on bicycle thieves and may also be useful in flagging suspicious events in public places, say researchers at the University of Leeds.
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