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Quantitative Analysis of Solid Waste Generation from Tanneries in Kano State

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 Journal of e-ISSN: 2582-3132
Environmental Engineering and Studies Volume-7, Issue-1 (January-April, 2022)

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Quantitative Analysis of Solid Waste Generation from Tanneries in Kano

State
Haruna I. U.1*, Kabir M.2, Yalo S. G.1, Muhammad A.2, Ibrahim A. S.4
1
Department of Civil Engineering, Firat University, Elazig, Turkey/Department of Civil Engineering,
Kano University of Science and Technology Wudil, Kano State, Nigeria
2
Assistant Lecturers, Department of Agricultural and Bio-Environmental Engineering, Audu Bako
College of Agriculture Dambatta, Kano State, Nigeria
3
Department of Civil Engineering, Kano State Polytechnic, Nigeria
4
Assistant Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Nigeria

*Corresponding E-mail: iharunaumar@kustwudil.edu.ng

ABSTRACT
Tanning industries have been so important
since ancient times because it helps to
produce essential goods such as garment and
footwear. However, these industries have
been polluting the environment, so there was
a need for investigations, observations, and
analysis by researchers for better
management and environmental
sustainability. In this study, solid wastes from
tanning industries in Kano State, Nigeria
were quantitatively analyzed. Both
questionnaires and physical measurements
were used in the Bompai, Sharada, and
Challawa industrial areas. The average
weight of raw skin was 0.96 kg and the
generation rate was 27.5% of the total weight
of processed skin. It was found that 85% of
the generated waste was organic, while only
15% was inorganic. The peak season for a
solid waste generation was the holy season of
the Muslim-majority communities, known as
"Eid al-Adha", (10th-13th Zulhajj of the
lunar calendar). While the off-peak
generation season was during the rainy
season, generated solid wastes from the
tanning industries could have the potential
for sustainable utilization in terms of
renewable energy generation and some
agricultural applications. It was therefore
recommended that future researches should
analyze the potentiality of these industries for
the benefit of Kano State.
Keywords-- Environment, Kano State, Solid
Waste Generation, Tanneries
INTRODUCTION
Tanning is simply the production of
leather from raw hides and skins. The tanning
industry (also called tannery) has been one of the
most important industrial processes (as in ) since
ancient times, used to produce highly durable
garments and footwear [1].
In Nigeria, leather tanning is one of the
oldest industrial activities. According to a
UNIDO report [2], it was already active before
the colonial occupation, producing items for
trans-Saharan trade for the Sudanese and
Maghreb markets. In the 1980s, Nigeria was the
African hub for tanneries and leather processing,
with over 40 functioning tanneries. Moreover,
95 percent of these industries were concentrated
in the northern city of Kano, where more than a
third of the local workforce was employed in the
sector at that time. The tanning industry
continues to be an important contributor to the
Nigerian economy. According to a statement by
the Nigerian Vice President, the leather industry
is capable of generating up to US$1 billion by
2025 [3].
Tanneries are classified as one of the
most polluting industries and harm the
environment due to the generation of liquid,
solid, and gaseous wastes [4]. Although leather
tanning primarily utilizes waste from the meat
industry, many chemicals are also used to
transform the raw material into a final product
(Fig. 1). Therefore, the leather industry
consumes resources and produces pollutants that
are toxic and hazardous to the environment [5].

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Figure 1: Solid waste generation process from the tanning industry [6].
In leather processing, for instance, only
200 kg of usable leather product (comprising 3
kg of chromium) is produced from one tonne of
raw material. The solid and liquid waste includes
about 250 kg of non-tanned solid waste, 200 kg
of tanned waste (comprising 3 kg of chromium),
and 50,000 kg of wastewater (comprising 5 kg of
chromium). In total, only 20% of a tonne of raw
material is produced as a finished leather product
and more than 60% as solid and liquid waste
containing the highly carcinogenic heavy metal
"chromium" [7- 8]. Solid wastes generated by
tanneries contain various chemicals used in
leather production. These solid wastes from
tanneries have different properties because
different chemicals and mechanical processes
are applied to the raw hides/skins. If not properly
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disposed of or recycled, these solid wastes
generated from various tanning operations can
cause several serious environmental problems
[9]. If salt dust or de-dusted salt removed from
preserved hides or skins is stored in heaps
outside tanneries or disposed of in open dumps,
it is likely to be washed away by rain, causing
pollution of groundwater. The discharge of hair
waste and lime sludge along with sewage leads
to clogging of sewage systems [10]. Raw and
green fleshing limed fleshing, splits (splitting
waste), and cutting waste also decay easily and
cause foul odors. Some biodegradable solid
tannery wastes are sources of pathogenic
bacteria and volatile organic compound
emissions [11-12].
 Journal of
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Quantitative assessment of the nature of
solid waste generated by tanneries in Kano State
is therefore very important for effective
management and potential utilization of solid
waste as an important resource for renewable
energy [13]. However, environmentally sound
solid waste management requires the selection
and application of appropriate techniques,
technologies, and management programs to
achieve certain waste management objectives.
Therefore, this study will be of great importance
in collecting useful, accurate, and up-to-date
data on the amount and type of solid waste
generated in tanneries. Nevertheless, the study
does not include household solid wastes that
may be generated in the tanneries (e.g. paper
wastes, nylons, metal wastes, etc.), liquid
effluents, and solid wastes that are disposed of
along with the effluents (e.g. sludge).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study Area
Kano is the largest city in the Sudan
region of Nigeria. It lays between latitude 120 25
to 120 40N and longitude 80 35N to 80 45E. Kano
is the economic and commercial nerve center of
the north. Tanneries in Nigeria are also located
in Kano [14]. The first integrated tannery was
established in 1949 in the Bompai suburb of
Kano. Later, other tanneries were established in
the Sharada and Challawa industrial areas of the
Kano metropolis [2]. Therefore, the present
study was conducted in all the tannery sites in
Kano State (Bompai, Sharada, and Challawa). A
comprehensive list of the subjects is presented in
Appendix I.
Materials
Raw skin samples preserved in salt,
chemicals for leather processing, tanning
machines for processing the raw skins, and
laboratory equipment (digital scales, collection
containers for solid waste samples).
Methods
The solid waste generation rates of each
tannery, the period of peak generation, and the
total annual solid waste generated by all
tanneries in Kano State were obtained.
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Sampling Technique
Based on random sampling, samples of
ten pieces of salt-preserved raw skin processed
to produce finished leather were taken piece by
piece at each leather production operation likely
to produce solid waste (i.e. fleshing, splitting,
chrome shaving, trimming off the crust, and
trimming of the finished leather).
Data Collection
The type of solid waste generated in
each stage of the operation was identified
through physical observation, and material
balance analysis techniques were used (i.e.
weighing samples before and after the operation
stages) to determine the solid waste generation
rate.
Questionnaires were developed and
distributed to the various tanneries currently in
operation. From the responses to the
questionnaires, the average daily and average
annual weights of solid waste generated by the
tanneries in Kano State were determined.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Solid Waste Generation in the Tanneries
The Solid Waste Generation Rate of the
Tanneries
The material balance measurements
showed that the average weight of the raw skins
measured was 0.96 kg. The physical
composition of the solid waste generated in the
tannery is as follows (Fig. 2): deducted salt, raw
skin trimmings, hair waste, fleshing waste, split
waste, chrome shavings, and finished leather
trimming waste. Hair waste was the largest
proportion of solid waste in these industries at
57%, while finished leather trimming waste was
the smallest at 2%. The tanning industry in Kano
could therefore provide abundant resources for
the production of fertilizers and biomaterials.
Consequently, the burden of importing fertilizers
for agriculture could be significantly reduced.
The generation rate of each type of solid
waste in kg/tonne of salt-preserved raw skin is
presented in Fig. 3. It was found that the
processing of one tonne of wet salted skin
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generates a total of 275.10 kg of solid waste,
which is 27.5% of the total weight of skin
processed. This, however, exceeds the 8.33%
estimated by [15] indicating a significant decline
in solid waste generation in the Kano tanning
industries. However, much higher values such as
60% [16] and 85% [17] have been reported in
the literature as estimates of solid waste
generation in the tanning industries. Such
variations could be due to the adaptation of these
industries to environmental guidelines, the type
of hiding/skin and the chemicals used in the
tanning process.

Figure 2: percentage proportion of the solid waste generation rate of tanneries in Kano State.

158

35.2
22.9 17.8 17.6 17.4
5.2

Figure 3: Solid waste generation rate in Kano Tanneries (kg/ton of raw skin).

Organic-Inorganic Solid Waste Ratio
Organic waste includes trimmings,
flashings, and hair wastes. The ratio of organic
to inorganic components of solid waste is shown
in Table 2. Most (85%) of the solid waste
generated in the tanning industries was organic.
Accordingly, this could pave the way for
sustainable utilization of solid waste from the
tanning in Kano for bioenergy use in the tanning
industries and industrial areas of the state.

Table 2: Organic-inorganic solid waste ratio.

Nature of Solid Weight Generated (kg/ton)
Percentage (%)
Waste From Raw Skin Processed From Solid Waste Generated
Organic 234.80 853.50 85.40
Inorganic 40.30 146.50 14.60

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Moreover, the few inorganic wastes
could also have significant application in some
other industries. Thus the need for investigation
into the suitability of these wastes for proper
utilization and management.
Total Annual Solid Waste Generation of
Tanneries in Kano State
The average total daily weight and
average total annual weight of skins processed
by tanneries in Kano State are shown in Table 3.
A total of 112,428.00 tonnes was the estimated
solid waste generated annually. Since it has the
most functional tanneries, Challawa Industrial
Area generated the most solid wastes. With
Bompai having the poorest performance, this is a
result of its high number of non-functional
tanneries. This could be attributed to the old age
of the area amongst the other tanneries, and its
proximity to some well classified governmental
layouts for residential purposes. Sharada
industrial area also possesses somewhat
similarities with Bompai in terms of proximity to
classified residential settings. This could have an
impact in reducing the number of tanneries, thus
concentrating these tanneries at Challawa

Table 3: Total Annual weight of Skins Processed by Tanneries in Kano State.

AVERAGE AVERAGE SOLID
WEIGHT OF WASTE
S. NO. OF SOLID SKINS GENERATION
INDUSTRIAL
N TANNERIE WASTE PROCESSED RATE
AREA
o. S TYPE Daily Annually
Daily Annually
(tons/day (tons/year
(tons) (tons)
) )
1 Bompai 4 - 44.16 13,248.00 12.14 3643.20
273.0
2 Challawa 11 - 81,900.00 75.08 22522.50
0
3 Sharada 7 - 57.60 17,280.00 15.84 4752.00
374.7 112,428.0
TOTAL 22 103.06 30917.70
6 0
318.5
Organic 95563.80 87.60 26280.05
5
Inorganic 56.21 16864.20 15.46 4637.66

Solid Waste Generation during Peak and Off-

Peak Periods
Sharad
From the responses in the a
questionnaires, it was found that the period of
peak production is the Muslim “Eid Al-Kabir”
period when the masses slaughter a lot of
Challaw
livestock by Islamic worship between the 10th
a
and 13th Zulhajj (the last month) of the Hijri
calendar (lunar date system). It has been found
that the rainy season (usually June-September) is
the off-peak period for production. Bompai

The daily amount of solid waste

generated during peak and off-peak production 0 500 1000
periods in the three tanning industrial areas (Fig.
4) shows that the tanning industries site that is Off-Peak Period Peak Period Normal
the most productive is the Challawa industrial
area as well. Figure 4: Average Solid Waste Generation per
period (tonnes/day).

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CONCLUSION RECOMMENDATIONS

The following conclusions were drawn from the
study on the assessment of solid waste
generation by tanneries in Kano State:
 The solid waste generation rate by tanneries
in Kano is 275.10 kg per tonne of salt-
preserved raw skin. The nature of solid
waste is 85% organic and 15% inorganic.
 The average annual amount of solid waste
generated by all tanneries in the Kano
metropolis is 30,918 tonnes/year. The
organic and inorganic components of the
solid waste are 26280.3 tonnes and 4637.7
tonnes respectively.
 The study revealed that the Eid Al-Kabir
period is the peak period of production and
hence the peak period of solid waste
generation. The average daily total weight
of solid waste generated during the peak
production period, normal production
period, and off-peak production period is
1199.3 tonnes/day, 359.8 tonnes/day, and
63.8 tonnes/day respectively.
Based on the study conducted in
tanneries in Kano State, the following
recommendations are made:
 There is the need to explore the
biochemical conversion of these solid
wastes, especially anaerobic digestion (bio
methanation) to determine the potential for
producing biogas from the solid tannery
wastes in Kano State.
 Based on the solid waste proclamation
number, further research should be carried
out on the utilization of solid tannery waste
for the production of valuable products and
energy generation.
The relevant agencies in the tanneries
need practical training on how to implement
solid waste management strategies (waste source
reduction, recycling and composting, waste
conversion/energy generation, and landfilling) to
manage the solid waste generated in their
tanneries.

More than 80% of the tanneries dispose of Conflict of Interests

their solid waste at the open landfill on the
Challawa River. The authors declare no conflict of interests.

APPENDIX 1
List of the Available Tanneries in Kano State

S.No. Name of Tannery Location Status

1 Gashash Tannery Bompai Functional
2 Gods Little Tannery Bompai Functional
3 Afrimpex Ent. Ltd Bompai Functional
4 Mahaza Company limited Challawa Functional
5 Kano Tan Tannery Limited Challawa Functional
6 Gb Tannery limited Challawa Functional
7 West Africa Tannery Limited Challawa Functional
8 Mario Jose Tannery Limited Challawa Functional
9 Fine Leather Processing Company Ltd Challawa Functional
10 Mamuda Industries Limited Challawa Functional
11 Fata Tanning Limited Challawa Functional
12 Nakudu Tannery Limited Challawa Functional
13 Loquat Classies Nigeria Limited Sharada Functional
14 Unique Leather Processing Co. Ltd Sharada Functional
15 Globus Tannery Limited Sharada Functional
16 B&B Leather Limited Sharada Functional
17 Hufawa Limited Sharada Functional

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18 Tannorth Tannery Sharada Functional

19 Multitan Company Limited Challawa Functioning
20 Great Northen Tanning Company Bompai Not functioning
21 International Tanners Bompai Not functioning
22 Sule Galadima Tanneries Bompai Not functioning
23 Tanarewa Nig. Ltd Challawa Not Functioning
24 First Tanneries limited Challawa Not Functioning
25 Arewa Tannery Challawa Not Functioning
26 Darum Enterprises Challawa Not functioning
27 Nabegu Tanning Challawa Not functioning
28 Daras Nigeria Challawa Not functioning
29 Kano Pickling and Tanning Company Challawa Not functioning
30 Harmattan Tannery Challawa Not functioning
31 Challawa Tannery Challawa Not functioning
32 Kapitan Tannery Challawa Not functioning
33 Darum tannery Challawa Not functioning
34 KTL Tanneries Challawa Not functioning
35 Akkad Tannery Challawa Not functioning

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