RELIEF: Reducing Environmental impact of the Leather-tanning Industry with Electron beam Facilities

救济：利用电子束设施减少皮革鞣制行业对环境的影响

基本信息

批准号：
ST/S002189/1
负责人：
Robert Apsimon
金额：
$ 6.21万
依托单位：
Lancaster University
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2018
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2018 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ST%2FS002189%2F1
关键词：
RELIEF Reducing Environmental impact Leather

项目摘要

Leather production is a vital contributor to the economy in many Official Development Assistance (ODA) recipient countries, such as Mexico. The Guanajuato region in central Mexico is home to approximately 350 tanneries, which have caused a substantial impact to the local environment, resulting in widespread pollution of water supplies and poisoning of the ecosystem. While regulations have been implemented to attempt to limit pollution produced by the tanning industry, these are rarely enforced and do little to improve the local environment.The leather production process consists of many different stages, starting with the curing stage to preserve the animal skins while they are transported between the slaughterhouse and the tannery. The hides then undergo several steps, collectively known as the beamhouse operations, to prepare the hides for the tanning stage. Tanning is a process whereby chemicals are used to create crosslinking between protein chains in the processed hide (collagen). This crosslinking is caused by the tanning agent, such as Chromium(III) Sulphate, which chemically bonds to the protein chains. These crosslinks make the leather more durable and less prone to damage from mould and bacteria than the original hide. The tanning process is very similar to the process used to industrially manufacture plastic, where an electron beam is used to create crosslinking between long-chain hydrocarbons to make the material more durable.The tanning stage is considered to be the most significant cause of pollution with the largest impact on the local environment. The unused Chromium(III) is often disposed of as wastewater, which then gets into the local ecosystem. We propose to replace the conventional tanning stage with an electron beam facility to create crosslinking in the leather with an electron beam, in the same way as electron beams are used to create crosslinking in plastics. An additional organic chemical, such as an aldehyde or acrylate, will be used to create the "bridges" between protein chains.In this project, we will study the effect of an electron beam on a biological sample to estimate the maximum irradiation dose before the damage to the protein chains outweighs the strengthening of the leather from crosslinking. We will investigate potential reagents for the bridging between protein chains, focussing on reagents with minimal environmental impact. A study of the requirements of an electron beam facility from the perspective of the tanneries will be undertaken in Mexico and this study will also look to identify other industries that would benefit from such as device. The outcome of this study will be used to undertake an initial design study of the electron accelerating structure and the beam transport line. This will investigate options such as whether to use a stationary, wide beam or a small beam that scans across the leather.This project is an initial study to demonstrate the feasibility of an electron beam leather tanning process and to identify the most likely design options for a final product. This will include an initial study of the impact of an electron beam on biological material, a basic study of the likely chemical process required for electron beam tanning, and the initial design study of a final product.

皮革生产是许多官方发展援助（ODA）接受国（例如墨西哥）的重要贡献者。墨西哥中部的瓜纳华托地区拥有大约350家制革厂的所在地，这对当地环境造成了重大影响，从而导致广泛污染供水和生态系统中毒。尽管已经实施了试图限制晒黑行业造成的污染的法规，但这些法规很少执行，并且对改善当地环境的作用无济于事。皮革生产过程由许多不同的阶段组成，从固化阶段开始，以保留动物的皮肤，而它们是在屠宰场和晒黑厂之间运输的。然后，生皮统一的步骤（统称为Beamhouse操作）为晒黑阶段的生产准备。晒黑是一种过程，化学物质用于在加工皮革（胶原蛋白）中的蛋白质链之间建立交联。这种交联是由晒黑剂（例如硫酸铬（III））引起的，硫酸盐（III）将其化学与蛋白质链结合。这些交联使皮革比原始皮革更耐用，更容易受到霉菌和细菌的伤害。晒黑过程与用于工业生产塑料的过程非常相似，在该过程中，电子束用于在长链碳氢化合物之间建立交联，以使材料更耐用。晒黑阶段被认为是对当地环境产生最大影响的最重要的污染原因。未使用的铬（III）通常被处理AS废水，然后进入局部生态系统。我们建议用电子束设备代替传统的晒黑阶段，以与电子束在皮革中进行交联，就像使用电子束相同的方式来创建塑料中的交联。另一种有机化学物质（例如醛或丙烯酸酯）将用于在蛋白质链之间创建“桥”。在本项目中，我们将研究电子束对生物样品的影响，以估算最大的辐照剂量，然后损害蛋白质链的损害，而蛋白质链的损坏超过了皮革从交叉链接的蛋白质限制。我们将研究蛋白质链之间桥接的潜在试剂，集中在环境影响最小的试剂上。从制革厂的角度，将在墨西哥进行电子束设施的要求研究，该研究还将旨在识别其他将从设备中受益的行业。这项研究的结果将用于对电子加速结构和光束传输线进行初步设计研究。这将研究选项，例如使用固定，宽光束还是扫描皮革的小型光束。该项目是一项初步研究，以证明电子束皮革晒黑过程的可行性，并确定最终产品的最可能设计选择。这将包括对电子束对生物材料的影响的初步研究，对电子束晒黑所需的化学过程的基本研究以及最终产品的初始设计研究。