CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute

CLRI -AISHTMA Project (1996)

CLRI in averting a major crises in Tanning sector

Tanning industry was confronted with serious environmental problems of tannery effluents. The crisis started with the closure of 400 tanneries in Tamil Nadu during early 1996 by the Apex Court .

CLRI (sponsored by All India Skin, Hide, Tanners and Merchants Association) has successfully demonstrated cleaner leather process technologies in tanneries and undertook the responsibility of providing know-how on in plant pollution control measures .

Various saturated streams of waste water from individual tanneries were analysed for emission factors (in kg of pollutant load per ton of leather processed) and a basket of critical technologies was implemented ensuring reduction of BOD, COD load by 35%, neutral salt discharges by 20 to 25%, sulphide by 60% and chromium by 98 to 99%. Reduction in hydraulic load by 20% through recycling of floats and water has been achieved.

Implementation of cleaner technologies in as many as 680 tanneries in 12 months period is a landmark in the history of the development of the Indian leather industry. National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur has joined CLRI in this major exercise.

CLRI has come to the rescue of leather industry when Germany has banned the use of PCP and azo dyes.This Institute developed several alternatives for these banned items and established testing and certification facilities in helping the industry from time to time resulting continuous growth of leather exports, inspite of restrictions from importing countries.

Today almost all the tanneries in Tamil Nadu have either established ETPs or connected to the CETPs. The National gains in terms of saving chemicals, improvement in the quality of leathers and cost reduction in treating the effluents have been enormous by way of adopting the cleaner process technologies. CLRI experts have visited Nepal and Sri Lanka and demonstrated these technologies to help the tanning industry. CLRI has been continuously working to reduce the quantity of water used in tanning process. Similar programmes are in progress at Calcutta and Dhaka (Bangladesh).

CLRI is at present engaged in the relocation of tanneries from calcutta city to a new complex. Gnet of W.B. appointed CLRI as the comsultant to the preparation of a new complex report with detailed layout, designing commom effluent trust plant, and individual tannery pretreatment system etc.

CLRI currently engaged in designing pretreatmental system to allt he tanneries and also designing CETP at Jalandhar Leather Complex