ECO-EFFICIENT SOLUTION IN WASTE MANAGEMENT OF TANNERIES

Leather industry it is well-known for the last decades as being one of the areas with serious environmental issues, handling the wastes being at the top of tanners' agenda for the last years. This industry is trying to reposition itself as a solution to the environmental problems rather than a contributor, based on the fact that no other industry can use the total volume of hides and skins yielded by the livestock and meat industries. In dealing with all kinds of problems regarding the demands made by governments and whether it will be possible for tanneries to operate on a level global playing field regarding the environment, tanneries had to come up with some environmental friendly solutions. There are many types of wastes that come from leather industries, but two of them distinguish by the option to be used for energy production: animal fat and biogas resulted from wastewater treatment and sludge discharged. Anaerobic digestion is a favorable technological solution that degrades a part of the organic matter contained in tannery sludge and solid waste by producing the biogas helps in alleviation the environmental problems. Large quantity and variety of waste from the leather industry requires that the problem be resolved with their recovery technically, economically and environmentally.