The present invention relates to a process for the tanning of animal hides characterised, compared to currently adopted processes, by the non-adoption of the step known in the industry as “pickling”. The invention also concerned hides tanned by said process.

The present invention relates to a process for the tanning of animal hides characterised, compared to currently adopted processes, by the non-adoption of the step known in the industry as “pickling”. The invention also concerned hides tanned by said process.

A recycling process for achieving near-zero emissions of tannery effluent is characterized in that effluent recycling is carried out independently in soaking, liming, re-liming, de-liming bating, pickling chrome tanning, re-tanning, neutralizing, and dyeing procedures. The effluents in the above procedures can be recycled in each step. This process greatly reduces effluent discharge and helps solve the problem of tanning pollution. The process also improves the quality of the finished leather, effectively decreases loose grain rate and increases compactness and fullness of the finished product. The project can reduce chemical material consumption by 15%-55%. For example, the consumption of chromium powder can be reduced up to 65%. Consumption of other chemical materials can be reduced by more than 90%, while certain chemical materials can be essentially completely conserved.

A recycling process for achieving near-zero emissions of tannery effluent is characterized in that effluent recycling is carried out independently in soaking, liming, re-liming, de-liming bating, pickling chrome tanning, re-tanning, neutralizing, and dyeing procedures. The effluents in the above procedures can be recycled in each step. This process greatly reduces effluent discharge and helps solve the problem of tanning pollution. The process also improves the quality of the finished leather, effectively decreases loose grain rate and increases compactness and fullness of the finished product. The project can reduce chemical material consumption by 15%-55%. For example, the consumption of chromium powder can be reduced up to 65%. Consumption of other chemical materials can be reduced by more than 90%, while certain chemical materials can be essentially completely conserved.

A method for tanning an animal substrate comprising the steps: i) agitating the animal substrate with a chromium-free tanning agent; and ii) agitating the animal substrate with a tanning agent having an oxazolidine group; wherein at least some of the agitation is performed in the presence of a solid particulate material having an average particle size of from 1 to 500 mm.

A method for tanning an animal substrate comprising the steps: i) agitating the animal substrate with a chromium-free tanning agent; and ii) agitating the animal substrate with a tanning agent having an oxazolidine group; wherein at least some of the agitation is performed in the presence of a solid particulate material having an average particle size of from 1 to 500 mm.

A process for leather production from a raw animal hide includes the steps of pre-soaking, soaking, unhairing and liming, re-liming, deliming and bating, pickling and tanning, degreasing, re-tanning, neutralizing, dyeing and fatliquoring, and washing the processed hide. Waste liquid is collected from at least one of the foregoing steps is recycled to at least one of the foregoing steps. The collected waste liquid can be recycled to the same step, to a different step, or to two of more steps in the process.

A method of preparing hydrophobicizing leather treatment compositions includes the steps of a) free-radically initiated copolymerization of i) at least one ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid or its derivatives, and ii) at least one (meth)acrylate of a primary saturated C.sub.8 to C.sub.22 alcohol, b) mixing the reaction mixture obtained after step a) with water, c) salting at least some of the carboxyl groups of the reaction mixture obtained after step b) with a base, and d) shearing the reaction mixture obtained after step c) to an average particle size of 0.05-10 μm,
wherein step a) is carried out in oil as reaction medium and wherein the atmosphere in step a) contains less than 0.1% by volume of an oxidizing gas.

Systems and methods for preparing fish leather, which may comprise lionfish leather, are described. A method of making lionfish leather may comprise cutting, using one or more guidelines, at least a portion of a lionfish body, wherein the guidelines are configured to facilitate removal of skin from of the lionfish body; removing, using the one or more guidelines, the skin from the lionfish body, wherein the removed skin defines a cut skin pattern based on at least the guidelines; and subjecting the removed skin to at least a tanning process to provide a lionfish leather.

Systems and methods for preparing fish leather, which may comprise lionfish leather, are described. A method of making lionfish leather may comprise cutting, using one or more guidelines, at least a portion of a lionfish body, wherein the guidelines are configured to facilitate removal of skin from of the lionfish body; removing, using the one or more guidelines, the skin from the lionfish body, wherein the removed skin defines a cut skin pattern based on at least the guidelines; and subjecting the removed skin to at least a tanning process to provide a lionfish leather.