Research Advances in Oil Tanning Technology

The conventional process of chamois leather manufacturing for industrial applications utilizes fish oil which contains substantial amounts of pentadienoic fatty acid. The applications of chamois leathers include cleaning polished surfaces, manufacture of gloves and orthopedic uses. However, due to fish oil’s strong odor and high cost, considerable efforts have been made to counter these challenges. Esterification of fish oil has been used as a strategy to address the problem of odor and water absorption but this cannot solve the issue of cost. Oils from plant sources such as linseed, rubber, jatropha, castor and sunflower have been investigated as potential tanning substitutes for fish oil. Linseed has been found to produce chamois leather with mild odor and water absorption characteristics close to those of fish oil compared to other oils obtained from plant sources. Oil from goat fleshing has also been investigated in chamois leather production and has been found to produce chamois leather whose odor compares with that of linseed oil tanned leather. If these tanning oil alternatives are combined with other research advances in chamois leather production such as glutaraldehyde pre-tanning and oxidation using hydrogen peroxide or through ozonation, then the issue of cost, odor and long oxidation period can be resolved.