A chrome-free tanning process of an ecological leather is characterized by a TWS+sodium lignosulfonate+TWLZ ternary tanning process system. The sodium lignosulfonate added can not only have a fixation effect on a TWS tanning agent to make the TWS tanning not undergo detanning at a low pH, but also significantly improve the uniformity of distribution of a TWLZ tanning agent in a hide/skin and promote the formation of a stable cross-linked network structure by the TWLZ tanning agent in a collagen fiber, which effectively overcomes the defects of tanning performance of the existing tanning systems to obtain a leather with uniform and sufficient tanning, a high isoelectric point, a strong electropositivity, excellent absorption for post-tanning chemicals, and a prominent softness, and gives a leather a wide use range and a high quality.

A chrome-free tanning process of an ecological leather is characterized by a TWS+sodium lignosulfonate+TWLZ ternary tanning process system. The sodium lignosulfonate added can not only have a fixation effect on a TWS tanning agent to make the TWS tanning not undergo detanning at a low pH, but also significantly improve the uniformity of distribution of a TWLZ tanning agent in a hide/skin and promote the formation of a stable cross-linked network structure by the TWLZ tanning agent in a collagen fiber, which effectively overcomes the defects of tanning performance of the existing tanning systems to obtain a leather with uniform and sufficient tanning, a high isoelectric point, a strong electropositivity, excellent absorption for post-tanning chemicals, and a prominent softness, and gives a leather a wide use range and a high quality.

A chrome-free tanning process of an ecological leather is characterized by a TWS+sodium lignosulfonate+TWLZ ternary tanning process system. The sodium lignosulfonate added can not only have a fixation effect on a TWS tanning agent to make the TWS tanning not undergo detanning at a low pH, but also significantly improve the uniformity of distribution of a TWLZ tanning agent in a hide/skin and promote the formation of a stable cross-linked network structure by the TWLZ tanning agent in a collagen fiber, which effectively overcomes the defects of tanning performance of the existing tanning systems to obtain a leather with uniform and sufficient tanning, a high isoelectric point, a strong electropositivity, excellent absorption for post-tanning chemicals, and a prominent softness, and gives a leather a wide use range and a high quality.

A liquid smoke tanning method uses liquid smoke as a tanning agent for tanning an animal skin, such as a hide or fur. The liquid smoke is used a natural source of aldehydes, which are commonly used in the tanning process and known to introduce toxicity into the animal skin. After the skin is prepared and cleaned for tanning, it is tanned in a liquid smoke solution, which may also include alum in an alternative embodiment. The liquid smoke is efficacious for crosslinking collagen proteins in the animal skin during the tanning process. The liquid smoke provides substantially the same collagen crosslinking capacity of aldehydes such as glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde, or glyoxol. The liquid smoke is, however, organic and does not contain the level of toxins found in chemically produced aldehydes. After the tanning, the skin is dried through known means for production as an organic, nontoxic leather.

A method for tanning a hide wherein said method comprises treating a tannable hide with a tanning composition comprising from 25 to 75% by weight (wt. %) of at least one chromium(III) salt; from 5 to 70% by weight (wt. %) of at least one zeolite having the general formula (1): Mx/n [(AlO.sub.2)x(SiO.sub.2)y] wH.sub.2O, wherein M is an alkali metal cation, a bivalent cation, a trivalent cation or a mixture thereof, n is the valence of the cation, w is the number of water molecules per unit cell, y is a number from 0.8 to 50 and the ratio y to x is ranging from 0.7 to 100, treated with at least one acid selected from the group consisting of a monocarboxylic acid and a polycarboxyic acid; and from 1 to 70 wt. % of at least one aluminium(III) salt; wherein all wt. % are relative to the total weight of the composition (T).

A cutting and double-face leather integrated dyeing process for Tan sheep skin, which comprises the following steps: cutting.fwdarw.washing with water.fwdarw.retanning.fwdarw.primary dyeing.fwdarw.primary color fixing.fwdarw.secondary dyeing.fwdarw.fatliquoring.fwdarw.secondary color fixing.fwdarw.bleaching.fwdarw.drying.fwdarw.a finished product. Tan sheep skin leather boards and fleeces dyed by the process of the invention have no cross color and color fading with each other, a high color fastness, and uniform dyeing; the prepared Tan sheep skin products such as clothing, etc., not only have the characteristics of a high added value and good practicability, but also can more largely increase product benefits and lower the production cost.

A cutting and double-face leather integrated dyeing process for Tan sheep skin, which comprises the following steps: cutting.fwdarw.washing with water.fwdarw.retanning.fwdarw.primary dyeing.fwdarw.primary color fixing.fwdarw.secondary dyeing.fwdarw.fatliquoring.fwdarw.secondary color fixing.fwdarw.bleaching.fwdarw.drying.fwdarw.a finished product. Tan sheep skin leather boards and fleeces dyed by the process of the invention have no cross color and color fading with each other, a high color fastness, and uniform dyeing; the prepared Tan sheep skin products such as clothing, etc., not only have the characteristics of a high added value and good practicability, but also can more largely increase product benefits and lower the production cost.

An apparatus includes a process chamber, a controllable compressor for pressurizing a fluid, a pressure reducing member, an inlet for a processing agent and a controller. The process chamber is a pressure chamber. The controllable compressor pressurizes a fluid and introduces the pressurized fluid into the process chamber from a source. Further the controllable compressor controls a predefined pressure in the process chamber to reach a supercritical state of the fluid. An inlet for a processing agent facilitates introduction of the processing agent into the process chamber prior to, during, or subsequent to pressurization of the fluid. The pressure reducing member reduces the pressure of the fluid at least to reach a gaseous state subsequent to processing the leather object such that the time for reduction of pressure exceeds a predefined reduction period or the reduction of pressure does not exceed a predefined leather pressure reduction gradient.

There is provided a process for tanning animal hide comprising treating an animal hide with at least one tanning agent and exposing the treated hide to a dose of ionising radiation of from 1 to 500 kJ/kg wherein the ionising radiation is in the form of a charged particle beam.