Clean Techn Environ Policy (2015) 17:571–576
DOI 10.1007/s10098-014-0831-7
ORIGINAL PAPER
Leather boards from buffing dust: a novel perspective
Rethinam Senthil • Thiagarajan Hemalatha •
Ramasamy Manikandan • Bhabendra Nath Das •
Thotapalli Parvathaleswara Sastry
Received: 9 April 2014 / Accepted: 3 August 2014 / Published online: 12 August 2014
Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014
Abstract Developing low cost composite materials for
use in footwear, leather goods, household interiors, etc.
from leather wastes is an efficient way of waste utilisation
and environmental pollution prevention. Keeping this
objective in view, a composite material, in board form, was
developed using leather buffing dust (BD), a collagenous
solid waste from the leather industry. Leather boards were
prepared using natural rubber latex (NRL) as the binder.
Different concentrations of NRL were used to find out the
optimum concentration which gave better mechanical
properties. The prepared leather boards were characterised
using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermo
gravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy.
Leather boards prepared using 400 g of BD: 450 mL of
NRL possessed better mechanical properties viz. tensile
strength, elongation at break (%), flexural strength, tearing
strength, etc.
Keywords Leather buffing dust
Natural rubber latex

Leather boards
Composite
Abbreviations
BD Buffing dust
LB Leather boards
NRL Natural rubber latex
R. Senthil
T. Hemalatha
R. Manikandan
T. P. Sastry (&)
Bioproducts Laboratory, Central Leather Research Institute,
Chennai 600 020, Tamilnadu, India
e-mail: sastrytp@hotmail.com; sastry56@gmail.com
B. N. Das
Shoe Design and Development Centre, Central Leather Research
Institute, Chennai 600 020, Tamilnadu, India
FTIR Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
TGA Thermo gravimetric analysis
SEM Scanning electron microscopy
Introduction
India is one of the major producers of leather in the world
with around 2,000 tanneries, processing nearly 7 lakh t of
raw hides/skins annually (Kameswari et al. 2012). Reports
reveal that approximately 200 kg of leather is manufac-
tured from 1 t of wet-salted hide, this amount constitutes
about 20 % of rawhide weight. More than 600 kg of solid
waste is generated during the transformation of 1 t of
rawhide into leather. Hence, solid wastes containing pro-
tein and fat, which constitute more than 60 % of rawhide
weight are disposed from leather industry (Ozgunay et al.
2007). Tannery generates huge amount of solid wastes in
the form of fleshings (50–60 %), chrome shaving, chrome
splits and buffing dust (35–40 %), skin trimmings (5–7 %),
hair (2–5 %), etc. (Kanagaraj et al. 2006). Poorly managed
disposal of leather wastes causes environmental pollution
and also eventually affects human health (Sundar et al.
2011). Therefore, proper optimised utilisation of these
wastes into valuable end products will be a promising
solution (Sastry et al. 2005).
According to the estimates, 2–6 kg of chrome contain-
ing buffing dust is generated as solid waste per t of skin/
hide processed. Buffing dust (BD) is a micro fine solid
particulate comprising of collagen, oil, tanning agents, dye
chemicals, synthetic fat, etc. (Swarnalatha et al. 2006). It is
carcinogenic in nature and causes clinical problems like
respiratory tract ailments, ulcers, perforated nasal septum,
kidney malfunction, lung cancer, etc., and it needs special
disposal (Sethuraman et al. 2013). Solid leather wastes are
disposed generally either by thermal incineration and
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anaerobic digestion or land co-disposal, in the absence of
any viable alternatives (Kirk et al. 2002). Emmanueul et al.
(2014) report that the combination of pyrolysis incineration
and bioremediation is an effective treatment for BD
disposal.
BD was used to prepare activated charcoal with a larger
adsorption capacity, compared to the activated charcoal
obtained from wood (Sekaran et al. 1998). Chronska and
Przepiorkowska (2008) report that addition of BD as filler
for rubbers such as carboxylated butadiene-acrylonitrile
rubber and butadiene-acrylonitrile rubber has improved
their mechanical properties, increased thermal aging as
well as electrical conductivity. BD and chrome shavings
(1:1 proportion) along with zinc oxide were also used as
fillers for nitrile rubbers (Chrońska-Olszewska and Prze-
piórkowska 2011).
Natural rubber latex (NRL) is one of the most impor-
tant biosynthesised polymer made from renewable natural
resource. Its main constituent is poly (cis-1,2-isoprene)
units, and it can be isolated from more than 2000 dif-
ferent species of plants; however, the commercially
important tree is Hevea brasiliensis (Rose and Steinbu-
chel 2005). NRL is a very versatile raw material because
its behaviour is governed by the composite properties of
the vulcanised and the base rubber. Natural rubber latex is
widely used as thermo setting material in the preparation
of composites because of its eco-friendly nature (Lopat-
tananon et al. 2006). Filler of natural rubber latex with
different types of particles can markedly change its
mechanical and thermal properties (Ahmed et al. 2012).
Natural rubber exhibits excellent chemical and physical
properties such as elasticity and flexibility, outstanding
formability and biodegradability. Ferreira et al. (2010)
prepared rubber—leather composites using finished lea-
ther wastes. The results indicated that up to 100 phr, the
composite properties were compatible for use in foot wear
(in-shoe) applications. Senthil et al. (2014) have reported
that the composites prepared using leather fibre, plant
fibre and NRL possessed better mechanical properties and
could be used in the manufacture of leather goods and
foot wear.
The objective of this study was to prepare leather
boards using buffing dust. The study aims to convert toxic
chrome containing BD into a useful product, thereby
reducing environmental pollution. Leather boards were
prepared using BD, with different concentrations of nat-
ural rubber latex, which was used as a binder. The
product was characterised for its physico-chemical prop-
erties using FTIR, TGA and SEM. Mechanical properties
such as tensile strength, elongation at break, tearing
strength, flexing endurance, water adsorption and
desorption along with biodegradation properties were
assessed.
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R. Senthil et al.
Materials and methods
Natural rubber latex (NRL) was purchased from Josson
Rubber, (Kerala, India). Leather buffing wastes were col-
lected from Central leather research Institute, Chennai,
India. Other chemicals used were of analytical grade.
Fabrication of leather boards (LBs)
Fabrication of LBs was done using leather buffing waste
and NRL. Leather buffing dust and water were mixed in
400 g: 50 mL ratio. Three different concentrations (150,
300 and 450 mL) of natural rubber latex were used as
binder. To this buffing dust, water and binder slurry and
1 % ethylene glycol were added. The prepared paste was
poured into steel plate (size 3 9 2 feet), and the pH was
adjusted to 5 by spraying 1 N H2SO4. The surface was
covered with another steel plate. The prepared sheet was
pressed using hydraulic press (polyhydron 4DL10SG S-10)
at a pressure of 1,000 psi for 5 s to remove water. The
resultant leather boards were dried in sunlight for 8 h and
further pressed at 50 °C for 10 s at 2,000 psi.
Physical characterisation
Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) measurements were
carried out to determine the formation and changes in the
functional groups of LBs. The spectra were measured at a
resolution of 4 cm-1 in the frequency range of
4,000–500 cm-1 using Nicolet 360 FTIR Spectrometer.
Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to analyse
the thermal stability of LBs. All the measurements were
performed using High Resolution 2950 TGA thermo
gravimetric analyser (TA Instrument). Samples weighing
between 10 and 20 mg were placed in a platinum pan, and
test was carried out in a programed temperature range of
0–800 °C at a heating rate of 5 °C/min under nitrogen
atmosphere at flow rate of 50 mL/min. Surface morphol-
ogy of the samples was visualised by scanning electron
microscope (SEM Model LEICA stereo scan 440). LBs
were coated with ultra thin layer of gold using an ion coater
(fisons sputter coater) under the following conditions viz.,
13.33 Pa pressure, 0.2 A current and 70 s coating time
under 15 kV accelerating voltage.
Mechanical properties
Mechanical properties were studied using dumbbell shaped
specimens of 4 mm wide and 10 mm length prepared from
LBs. Tensile strength (MPa), percentage of elongation at
break (%) and tearing strength (N/mm) were measured
using Universal testing machine (INSTRON model 1405)
at an extension rate of 5 mm/min. Flexing endurance
Leather boards from buffing dust
Fig. 1 Leather boards prepared using buffing dust a raw board, b finished board
strength was also assessed using Fibre board flexing (model
TER 74) machine according to STM 129 test method.
Water absorption and desorption (%) capacities of different
LBs prepared were also determined.
Estimation of chromium (III) and chromium (VI)
Chromium content was estimated in BD and LBs according
to Swarnalatha et al. (2008). Briefly, 2 g of the sample was
gently stirred for 3 h with 100 mL of 0.13 mol of dip-
otassiun hydrogen ortho phosphate at pH 8 and filtered. To
10 mL of this solution, 10 mL of phosphate buffer was
added, and it was made up to 25 mL. One mL of 0.5 %
diphenyl carbazide was added, followed by the addition of
0.5 mL of ortho phosphoric acid. The solution was kept for
colour development for 15 min, and the absorbance was
measured at 540 nm. The calculated concentration was
chromium (VI). Total chromium was estimated using the
above method after digesting the samples using acid mix-
tures (5 mL HNO3: 3.5 mL H2SO4: 11.5 mL HClO4) fol-
lowed by the oxidation using potassium permanganate and
sodium azide. Chromium (VI) is subtracted from total
chromium to get chromium (III).
Biodegradation study
LBs were exposed to collagenase enzymes to assess the
biological stability of the material and its level of degra-
dation. Known weight of the sample was taken and was
added into a small vial containing 30 mL acetate buffer
(pH 4.5) with collagenase enzyme (concentration of 2 g/L).
The mixture was then incubated at 55 °C in water bath.
After every 48 h, the sample was washed with distilled
water and then dried in a vacuum at 45 °C for 24 h. The
procedure was repeated for 15 days. The immersion media
were refreshed daily to maintain enzymatic activity. The
573
extent of biodegradation was estimated based on weight
loss (Li et al. 2010).
Statistical analysis
Results are presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD)
of three individual experiments (n = 3). ANOVA (Ana-
lysis of variance) and Duncan’s multiple range analysis
were done to determine the significant differences among
the groups. p values of p \ 0.05 were considered
significant.
Results and discussion
The increasing amounts of waste and diminishing waste
disposal sites, as well as the problems associated with the
contamination from dangerous and toxic materials, are
challenging to us and should be resolved successfully
(Boccacini et al. 1996). Among the different types of solid
wastes generated from the leather industry, the tanned
collagenous waste arising out of finishing operation is
called buffing dust. Leather boards were prepared using
buffing wastes using NRL as the binder. The optimal bin-
der concentration was identified using physico-chemical
and mechanical properties.
Fabrication of leather boards (LBs)
Leather boards (Fig. 1a, b) prepared using buffing dust
(400 g) and binder possessed smooth surface, and it was
weightless in nature. They were 3 9 2 feet in size and had
a thickness of approximately 5 mm. They were flexible and
amenable for pigmentation according to our choice, and the
prepared LBs were comparable with our earlier reports
(Senthil et al. 2014).
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Fig. 2 FTIR analysis of leather
board
Fig. 3 TGA analysis of leather
board
Physical characterisation
In the FTIR spectrum of LBs (Fig. 2), a band at
1,370–1,380 cm-1 was observed which could be attributed
to phenolic stretching vibration of –OH and aliphatic –CH
deformation in methyl groups of latex. Aromatic –CH
bending vibration was detected at 1,186 cm-1, and a –CO
stretch vibration was observed at 1,052 cm-1. The intense
bands around 1,643 and 1,540 cm-1 were attributed to the
C–O stretching vibration and N–H bending vibration of
protein molecules, respectively. The intense peak at about
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R. Senthil et al.
852 cm-1 is due to the Cr(III) species (Swarnalatha et al.
2006).
Thermo gravimetric analysis results (Fig. 3) depicted
the thermal stability of LBs. Initial weight loss of about
90 % was observed around 220 °C, which could be due
to the loss of moisture. The organic compounds of
buffing dust such as tannin, synthetic tannin, protein and
fatty substances are hydrophilic in nature; thus, the water
molecules were held in the bound form. The consecutive
weight loss between 300 and 660 °C could be due to the
degradation of organic compounds in the buffing dust
Leather boards from buffing dust 575

Fig. 5 Biodegradation study

elongation at break. It could be attributed to the elastic

Fig. 4 Scanning electron microscopic image of leather board
into intermediate compounds. The thermal degradation
temperature for NRL is between 200 and 440 °C (He
et al. 2013). The net weight of the residual matter was
about 12 %, which proved the complete decomposition
of the composite at 800 °C.
The surface morphology of LBs was studied using
SEM (Fig. 4). Buffing dust was observed as fine parti-
cles, and they were dispersed well in NRL matrix. The
images revealed the proper binding of buffing dust by
NRL.
Mechanical properties
Mechanical properties of leather boards (Table 1) play a
major role in determining their end use applications (Sen-
thil et al. 2014). Considering the characteristics, it could be
explained that NRL contributed to the strength and elastic
property of LBs. Increase in NRL concentration has led to
significant (p \ 0.05) increase in tensile strength and
nature of NRL, which tends to reduce the brittleness (Shey
et al. 2006). Prompunjai and Sridach (2010) reported that
the composites prepared using cassava starch, sawdust and
20 % NRL had better compression strength and flexural
strength. Flexural strength and tearing strength of the LBs
significantly increased with increase in concentration of
NRL. The flexural strength of composites increased, when
NRL was used as an additive. Better mechanical properties
exhibited by leather boards could also be attributed to the
good interfacial compatibility between nonpolar NRL and
buffing dust. The mechanical properties and dimensional
stability of LBs are strongly affected by their nature of
water absorption. Hence, the water absorption values play
an important role in their characterisation. Due to the non
polar nature of NRL (Jian et al. 2013), increase in its
concentration has led to decrease in water absorption val-
ues, while a significant increase was observed in water
desorption values. Leather boards with decreased water
absorption values and increased water desorption values
are highly encouraged properties for use in footwear and
leather goods preparation, since it aids in maintaining a dry
product surface, thereby preventing slipperiness or micro-
bial growth (Senthil et al. 2014). It is clearly evident from

Table 1 Mechanical properties of leather boards prepared using various concentrations of NRL
LB NRL Tensile strength Elongation at break Tearing Flexing Water absorption Water desorption
(mL) (Mpa) (%) strength endurance (%) (%)
(N/mm)

LB 1 150 1.68 ± 0.44 1.99 ± 0.81 12.75 ± 0.20 1.21 ± 0.21 57.18 ± 0.54 50.75 ± 0.67
LB 2 300 2.96 ± 0.11* 2.51 ± 0.67 13.69 ± 0.42* 1.43 ± 0.17 55.25 ± 0.95 53.48 ± 1.25*
LB 3 450 4.19 ± 0.44* 3.99 ± 0.81* 14.80 ± 0.51* 2.18 ± 0.15* 50.05 ± 2.83* 56.85 ± 1.47*
The data are presented as mean ± SD of three individual experiments
* p \ 0.05, using Duncan’s multiple range analysis

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the above results that LBs prepared using 450 mL (w/v) of
NRL possessed better mechanical properties, which could
find potential applications in the manufacture of leather
goods and footwear.
Estimation of chromium (III) and chromium (VI)
The Cr3? content of BD and LBs (prepared using 450 mL
of NRL) was 8.0 and 4.7 mg/g, respectively. The reduction
in concentration of Cr3? was also observed by Sastry et al.
(2005) during the preparation of parchment membrane
(leather like material) from chrome shavings leather waste.
Cr6? content of BD was \100 lg/mL, whereas it was
below detectable limit in the LBs.
Biodegradation study
The extent of biodegradation of leather boards was pre-
pared using BD, a tanned collagenous waste was around
5 %, on treatment with collagenase enzyme (Fig. 5). Bio-
degradation of a substrate usually depends on its carbon–
nitrogen (C:N) ratio. The C:N ratio of BD is around 5,
while normally substrates with a low C:N content are easily
degraded.
Conclusion
The study investigates that the potentials of leather boards
were prepared from leather buffing dust using natural
rubber latex as a binder. Among the different concentra-
tions of NRL used, 450 mL (w/v) provided significant
mechanical properties to the smooth surfaced leather
boards, which may find application in footwear, leather
goods, household interior applications, etc. Since chrome
containing leather waste is converted into a useful product,
there is a considerable reduction in environmental pollution
in addition to its cost effectiveness.
Acknowledgments The award of STRAIT fellowship to R. Senthil
is gratefully acknowledged.
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