Environmental Issue

Wastes and chemicals released to water system are the main pollution concerns for the leather industry. They are produced during washing, dehairing and tanning of the leather.

The washing of skins removes dirt, salt and some organic matter from the raw material. Lime and sulfides are used to dehair the skins. 

The water discharge from turnover is called Raw Effluent.

The Indian government has numerous laws in place that effect the leather industry. Although compliance is effective  achieving the required norms of total dissolved solid from the tannery effluent is a problem. The common effluent plants have been established in all areas of where tanneries are clustered.     

The TDS in Tannery effluent is high because common salt is widely used prictices for preserving raw hides and skins all over the world.

The only viable Technology available for reaching the TDS norms is reverse osmosis (RO). Some of the large Tanners have established the RO plants at their own cost at their treatment plants and these are operating well.

Apart from meeting discharge standards, this also help tanners to recover water, a very valuable commodity in  Tamil Nadu. Given the fact that most of the tanneries are in small scale sector and are already connected to the common effluent treatment plants for treatment of their waste water, The RO Plants are being Installed in the common Facilities.

The Tanning Industry in India have adopted the " Zero Liquid discharge " concept by implementing the reverse osmosis system in all CEPTS/IETPS.