Date: November 9, 2022

Grade 11

2nd Quarter - 1st Semester

Tanning of Leather: Application of Fermentation

In order to create leather, animal skins and hides are exposed to a process called

tanning. Animal skins and hides are subjected to a process called tanning in order to generate

leather. Skin processing is done at tanneries. By permanently changing the skin's protein

structure during the tanning process, hides can be turned into leather that is more resistant to

deterioration and changes in color. It alters the chemistry of the leather fibers, making it

more difficult for bacterial and fungal enzymes to tear them down, making the leather more

durable.

You can tan leather in 4 different methods. First, chrome tanning, which employs a

pickled pelt that is tanned beneath low pH to first let the chrome tanning agent to enter, is

used to promote the mixture of collagen and chromium. Alkali is then added to the tanning

system to raise the ph level Vegetable tanning, on the other hand, is the process of tanning

leather using the bark of trees like spruce and oak. The hides are positioned in the tanning pit,

which contains drums filled with tanning solutions of varying strengths. The tanners transport

the skins from barrel to barrel over the course of two to three months, steadily saturating

them with more and more solution. Following the penetration of the tanning ingredients into

the skins, the fermentation and deposition process gives the hides their distinctive color and

look. The third method, brain tanning, starts with a deep cleaning of the hide by peeling out

the flesh, fat, and tissue that cover the interior of the hide. Then carefully wash, wring, and
stretch the hide on a frame. Warm water and the ground-up animal brain are combined to

create a tanning solution, which is then rubbed into the hide. The hide is finished by being

smoked once it is prepared. The fourth method is synthetic tanning, which employs chemicals

including formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, phenols, and acrylates to produce a tanned

appearance. The term "wet white" refers to the dazzling hue that the wet and undyed leather

possesses after tanning. Hides may be tanned in a variety of techniques, but the ultimate

effect is that the hides won't go bad and can be dyed and used for other purposes.

The chemistry of the leather fibers is altered during tanning, which makes it harder for

bacterial and fungal enzymes to break them down and increases the durability of the leather.

As a result, tanning is required for leather since untanned raw hide will decay and crumble to

dust. The raw hide or skin's protein is stabilized throughout the tanning process, avoiding

putrefaction and enabling a wide range of end uses.

Source:

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2020/ra/d0ra04189k

https://bestleather.org/leather-tanning/#:~:text=Over%20a%20period%20of%20two,a

%20distinct%20color%20and%20appearance.

https://byjus.com/question-answer/what-are-the-applications-of-fermentation/

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2020/ra/d0ra04189k
https://www.leather-dictionary.com/index.php/Vegetable-tanned_leather#:~:text=Vegetable

%20tanning%20refers%20to%20leather,is%20called%20vegetable%2Dtanned%20leather.

https://www.neratanning.com/leather-tanning/#:~:text=Tanning%20changes%20the

%20chemistry%20inside,is%20done%20in%20a%20tannery.