Solar dryer for leather and a comparative study on the characteristics of open-, solar- and electrical-dried leathers

Abstract

Solar energy is a cost effective, eco-friendly and pollution-free concept. It can prove to be a major energy saver for tannery application such as hot water production and leather drying. For achieving leather of good quality, controlled processing techniques are to be adopted. In order to achieve faster drying rates for higher productivity and economy in drying, a forced type of solar dryer set-up with an electrical back-up was developed. This paper illustrates the data on three different drying processes namely the open, solar and electrical drying. The data includes physical properties, surface texture, thickness variation and area reduction of leather. By controlling the drying temperature and relative humidity in solar drying, it is possible to achieve physical characteristics closer to open drying for higher productivity and cost-effective results.