Towards cleaner degreasing method in industries: ultrasound-assisted aqueous degreasing process in leather making

Studies on ultrasound-assisted processes are gaining importance due to its effectiveness and facilitating green method in processing. Degreasing of skin/hide prior to tanning process is an important unit operation. Presence of large amounts of natural fat at the interior of skin/hide matrix makes degreasing process a challenging one. Conventionally, organic solvent and/or detergent based degreasing process are employed leading to environmental problems. In the present paper, the use of power ultrasound in aqueous degreasing process has been studied and compared with different degreasing systems. Glutaraldehyde pre-tanning has also been employed for carrying out the degreasing process at ultrasonic bath temperature. The results indicate that there is a significant increase in the degreasing efficiency due to the application of ultrasound. About 2-fold increase in fat removal has been observed due to the use of ultrasound as compared to control under the given process conditions. Comparing the degreasing efficiencies of the solvent with aqueous based ultrasonic processes, about 80% of the solvent degreasing efficiency could be obtained for aqueous degreasing process. This novel ultrasonic process helps in making aqueous degreasing process a viable option, which is eco-friendly even dispensing with temperature control measures.