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This article presents the results of a study on the current state and evaluation of the Polish tanning industry, focusing on its production characteristics. The research sample included 220 companies that were contacted to gather information about their operations. Some of these companies have been suspended, liquidated, or have changed their business profiles. Approximately 30 % confirmed that they are still active in leather manufacturing, indicating that the Polish tanning industry is experiencing a process of deindustrialization. Surveys conducted in 20 companies revealed that Polish tanneries operate on national, European, and global scales. Most of them are micro or small enterprises with annual revenues of up to PLN 5 million. The primary factor defining their competitiveness is the high quality of the products and services they offer. They mainly process calfskin and cowhides sourced from Poland and abroad, primarily for the footwear sector. Polish tanneries are aware of global trends, including the industry's shift towards ecological practices, the adoption of modern technologies, and the introduction of innovations. Given the current challenges facing the Polish tanning industry, it is essential to take action to improve the health of this sector of the economy.

Extensive use of chromium (Cr) and arsenic (As) based preservatives from the leather tanning industry in Pakistan has had a deleterious effect on the soils surrounding production facilities. Bacteria have been shown to be an active component in the geochemical cycling of both Cr and As, but it is unknown how these compounds affect microbial community composition or the prevalence and form of metal resistance. Therefore, we sought to understand the effects that long-term exposure to As and Cr had on the diversity and structure of soil microbial communities. Soils from three spatially isolated tanning facilities in the Punjab province of Pakistan were analyzed. The structure, diversity and abundance of microbial 16S rRNA genes were highly influenced by the concentration and presence of hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)) and arsenic. When compared to control soils, contaminated soils were dominated by Proteobacteria while Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria (which are generally abundant in pristine soils) were minor components of the bacterial community. Shifts in community composition were significant and revealed that Cr (VI)-containing soils were more similar to each other than to As contaminated soils lacking Cr (VI). Diversity of the arsenic resistance genes, arsB and ACR3 were also determined. Results showed that ACR3 becomes less diverse as arsenic concentrations increase with a single OTU dominating at the highest concentration. Chronic exposure to either Cr or As not only alters the composition of the soil bacterial community in general, but affects the arsenic resistant individuals in different ways.

Over a billion people in developing countries do not have access to clean water. Industries such as textiles, tanneries, and plastics release wastewater with toxic dyes that require treatment to remove the color. Adsorption and coagulation are known methods for removing dyes from wastewater. The production of natural adsorbents and coagulants involves the use of waste from agricultural products, which makes them cost-effective and environmentally friendly. They can be modified to achieve high dye removal rate. Natural adsorbents and coagulants are more eco-friendly than synthetic materials such as activated carbon and alum, because they can achieve similar levels of removal efficiency while being biodegradable and reusable. The combination of two methods can help to reduce the required dosage of adsorbent and coagulant and simultaneously improve the rate of dye removal. The purpose of this review is to evaluate and contrast the efficacy of recent natural agricultural adsorbents and coagulants, as they are environmentally friendly and abundant in nature. Additionally, it aims to introduce novelty by reviewing the combined coagulation/flocculation and adsorption systems in the treatment process for removing dyes, utilizing adsorbents and coagulants derived from agricultural wastes. As it turns out, the most examined dyes for removal were Methylene Blue and Congo Red and as adsorbents were used banana peels, orange peels, and nut. Furthermore, Moringa oleifera is used as a coagulant in both single and combined systems. Regarding adsorption, it was observed that banana peels could remove different dyes with high efficiency.

The tanning industry faces significant challenges in quality control due to the complex transformations of leather, the anisotropic nature of the raw material, and the increasing adoption of innovative processes and materials in the tanning methods. In this study, it was possible to evaluate the applicability of a Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) technique such as near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy applied to the new generation of tanning products and processes as a potential technique for supporting product and process quality control activities. A microNIR sensor was employed to analyse intermediate leather samples, nano-functionalised finishing products, and tanning waters. By means of Principal Component Analysis (PCA), it was possible to differentiate tanned products with traditional processes and innovative methods. The same chemometric model was applied for process control when using nanostructured substances which helped to assess how effectively the nanostructured agents were incorporated into the final material. These results demonstrated how NIR spectroscopy coupled with chemometric models can provide real-time insights into traditional and innovative tanning processes, optimise resource consumption, and support sustainability in the leather industry.

This study investigates the projected outcome of the Bangladesh government’s decision to relocate the Hazaribagh tanneries outside Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Ever since the early industrialisation of Bangladesh, leather processing industries have played a significant economic role. In Dhaka, these industries are mainly concentrated in Hazaribagh, an important area in the southwestern part of the city. Hazaribagh is a junction connecting the new township with the old one. However, the use of inferior technologies, coupled with the absence of proper industrial waste-management and waste-treatment facilities, have destroyed the ecology of the Hazaribagh area and badly impacted its surroundings. Consequently, moving the tanneries from Hazaribagh and then redeveloping the area offers a unique opportunity in the country's sustainable urban regeneration. Regenerating the Hazaribagh urban brownfield can serve as a model for sustainable twenty-first-century neighbourhoods, incorporating contemporary facilities and environmentally friendly elements for healthy living. This study analyses the Hazaribagh area’s potential as an example of a planned sustainable area for the entire city, free from the severe pollution that it is notorious for.

To overcome the stringent regulations in the usage of chromium salts and dye-rich effluent let out by the tanning industry, a sustainable way of leather processing has been demonstrated utilizing amine pendant metal–organic frameworks (MOF) UiO-66-NH 2 along with glyoxal. It was found that an offer of 8% (w/w) MOF along with 6% (w/w) glyoxal increased the shrinkage temperature of the leathers to 89 ± 2 °C with exhaustion of MOF up to 84.3 ± 1.5%. The presence of cationic amine sites in the MOF aided in the fixation of anionic post-tanning agents and improved the adsorption of dyes from 74.3 ± 2.5% in the case of conventional leather to 91.8 ± 1.7% for experimental leather. In comparison to chrome-tanned leather, the experimental leathers were rated the highest in terms of dye fastness concerning rubbing action and against perspiration, showcasing the washable properties and better affinity and irreversible binding of dyes to the leather matrix. Mechanism studies through XPS spectroscopy revealed the interaction between the acidic amino acids of collagen and free zirconium metal sites and the imine linkage between amine pendants of MOF and basic amino acids of collagen protein. Further, the BOD 5 /COD ratio of 0.36 confirmed the better treatability of the wastewater emanating from the proposed process making it a sustainable tanning system. Thus, the combination of amine pendant MOFs with dialdehyde can be a promising strategy for the development of robust chrome-free leathers with excellent functional properties. Graphical abstract

The leather industry earns special attention because of its strong potential for foreign exchange earnings and employment generation prospects. This industry has developed enormously over the past decades; since, leather has become a material of choice in the world of fashion. However, this industry, like many others, is facing stringent environmental regulations worldwide, due to vast usage of toxic chemicals and generation of hazardous waste. Leather manufacturing involves conversion of raw skins and hides into leather through a series of mechanical and chemical operations. Processes like pre-tanning and tanning are known to contribute ~ 80–90% of the total pollution load in tanneries. In order to mitigate the hazards caused by toxic chemicals, enzymes have been identified as a practical alternative for use during processing and as well as for waste management. Even though the use of enzymes in the leather industry dates long back mainly because of their activity on proteins and fat, the complete replacement of chemicals by enzymes has yet to be realized. Earlier, enzymes were derived from animal excreta, and later on from the pancreas of cattle. However, currently, the enzymes are almost entirely produced by microbial fermentation. In light of this, the current review presents a holistic view on the effective utilization of enzymes in leather making, mainly during soaking, dehairing, bating and degreasing processes in order to minimize waste generation, and also in the recovery of valuable and saleable by-products. Globally, ~ 7 million tons of salted bovine hides are used every year for leather making. By using enzymes in bio-preparation, around 8 million gigajoules of energy saving and 0.7 million tons of CO2 savings is estimated to be achieved due to lower processing times and associated energy use. Nevertheless, the search for enzymes for their ultimate application in the leather industry as an eco-friendly alternative continues, since, this process is far safer and more pleasant than the traditional method. The progress made in this field during the past two decades are highlighted and will provide further insight on the scope for utilization of enzymes in this industry. In order to achieve sustainability, clean environment and prevent health hazards, the leather industry ought to adopt the use of eco-friendly alternatives which might primarily depend on research, development and implementation of the potential enzyme technology.

The present study emphasized on evaluating the extent of pollution of Dhaleshwari River in Bangladesh due to the discharge of heavy metals from tanneries and other industries along with the health risks associated with the consumption of the heavy metals accumulated fish. For this purpose, three spots of Dhaleshwari River which are in the vicinity of the industrial outlet were selected for evaluating the seasonal status of heavy metals in water, sediment, and organs of three common fish species. Average concentrations of metals in water and sediment were in the order of Cr > Cd > Pb > Cu > As and Cr > Pb > Cu > As > Cd respectively. The average HM concentrations in water and sediment exceeded WHO and USEPA standards suggesting serious pollution to the aquatic environment. In fish organs, metal concentrations were in the order of Cu > Cr > Pb > Cd > As. Accumulation was highest in gills and lowest in muscles. Fish muscles had a relatively higher concentration of heavy metals (except As) exceeding the safe limits of FAO and WHO. Seasonal variation was also observed in water for all metals (p < 0.01), in sediment for Cu and As (p < 0.05), and in fish for Cr, Cd, and Cu (p < 0.05); higher concentrations were observed in winter. Bioconcentration factor analysis indicated that Cu, Pb, and Cr were more concentrated in fish. Health risk assessment reveals that the carcinogenic risk of Cr is associated with the consumption of contaminated fish species of the studied area.

Tanning industry has been identified as a significant source of heavy metals; however, heavy metals contamination in farmland soil due to small-scale tanning activities remains unstudied. Here, samples from topsoil, profile soil, water and sediments in the vicinity of a small-scale tanning area in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China, were collected to explore the contamination characteristics and source apportionment of Cd, Cr, Hg, As, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn. The results show that the farmland soil was mainly contaminated by Cr and its content was 33.40–3830.00 mg kg−1. The highest level of Cr, Cd and Hg was above their thresholds, while the average contents of Cd, Cr, Pb and Hg exceeded the corresponding background levels. Moreover, enrichment of Cr in soil profiles and stream sediments were also observed, whose concentrations varied from 11.50 to 2590.00 mg kg−1 and 738.00 to 11,200.00 mg kg−1, respectively. Concentrations of Cr in top soils and soil profiles from farmland surrounding the stream were significantly higher than those from other areas, and the soils surrounding the stream were moderately to heavily polluted. The multivariate statistical analysis indicated that the heavy metals originated from traffic (Cu, Ni, Zn, Hg, and Pb), agriculture (Cr and Cd) and nature (As). Source apportionment with PMF model results showed that the relative contribution rates of heavy metals by traffic, tanning, agriculture, other industrial activities and natural sources were 16.00%, 18.88%, 20.88%, 22.04% and 22.20%, respectively. These findings indicate that small-scale tanning activities could also lead to heavy metal accumulation in the surrounding environment, which requires decision-makers to pay more attention and to develop effective remediation procedures.

Industrial activities are paramount to sustaining the economy in a rapidly developing nation and global powerhouse like India. Leather industries are important in the country’s economic map due to the high revenue and employment generation opportunities. Several of these industries contribute largely to environmental pollution. The pollution of the environment is mainly caused by improper disposal of the tannery effluents that are highly rich in hexavalent chromium, a potent human carcinogen. Hexavalent chromium imparts toxic effects on the biotic components, which include plants, animals, and humans. The review portrays the current status of the Indian leather tanning sector and its impact on the Indian economy. The process of chromium tanning and its adverse effects on the environmental biotic components have been briefly discussed. Phytoremediation of these effluents using suitable hyperaccumulating plants has been suggested as an eco-friendly and cost-effective approach for the sustainable restoration of the polluted environment. The mechanism behind the remediation approach and the factors influencing it have been detailed. The manuscript briefly discusses some important advancements in the field of phytoremediation and emerging technologies and concludes by emphasizing further research for sustainable management of tannery wastes.