Abstract
In this study the carbon footprint and power demand of tannery wastewater treatment processes for the largest bovine leather producing regions were quantified and analysed. Moreover, we present a case in which we benchmarked the carbon footprint and energy demand analysis of tannery wastewater treatment to municipal wastewater treatment. We quantified the greenhouse gas direct and indirect emissions from tannery wastewater treatment facilities. Our results show that the total CO2-equivalent emission for tannery wastewater treatment is 1.49 103 tCO2,eqd−1. Moreover, the energy intensity of tannery wastewater treatment processes are evaluated at 3.9kWhkg−1bCOD,removed, compared to 1.4kWhkg−1bCOD,removed of municipal wastewater treatment processes. Based on this work in the field of tannery wastewater treatment, an effort to innovate suitable treatment trains and technologies has the strong potential to reduce the carbon footprint.
Highlights
The leather industry is a worldwide segment of the economy, and not amongst the largest industrial segments worldwide, it can be a dominant regional player in certain areas
Our results show that the total CO2-equivalent emission for tannery wastewater treatment is 1.49 103 tCO2,eq d−1
The energy intensity of tannery wastewater treatment processes are evaluated at 3.9 kWh kg−1bCOD,removed, compared to 1.4 kWh kg−1bCOD,removed of municipal wastewater treatment processes
Summary
The leather industry is a worldwide segment of the economy, and not amongst the largest industrial segments worldwide, it can be a dominant regional player in certain areas. Leather tanning is known to be one of the most important industries in Mediterranean countries [1]. The leather manufacturing process consists of several steps, with one of the most important activities being the tanning of the raw hides. The tanning process can be represented in three main phases: acquisition and pre-treatment of raw animal hides; treatment of the hides with a tanning agent; and drying and shining the hides before sending them to product manufacturers. The high complexity of the tannery wastewater matrix originates from a wide range of components such as: raw materials (hide) residues, excess dosage of reagents including a high concentration of proteins, lipids, and salts (sulphide, sulphate, and chloride), tanning agents such as natural and synthetic tannins, and dyes and surfactants [2]. Tannery wastewater is associated with direct and indirect emissions of greenhouse gases [3]
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