Toxic Waste From Leather Industries

Leather manufacturing and processing leads to the formation of solid waste and wastewater effluent containing toxic and hazardous chemicals; the waste from leather industry leads to harmful effects on living beings and environment. The waste includes used animal skin and effluent containing chemicals such as chlorides, sulfates, hydrocarbons, amines, aldehydes, and so on, along with heavy metals including arsenic and chromium used in leather tanning process. These toxic wastes have the potential to be utilized in energy production to reduce the negative impact on the environment. The two methods, namely upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reaction and biomethanation, through which the toxic waste may be utilized to generate heat and energy are also stated.