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Title: Preparation of nonwoven and green composites from tannery solid wastes

Author
item Liu, Cheng Kung
item Latona, Nicholas - Nick
item Taylor, Maryann

Submitted to: American Leather Chemists Association Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/30/2014
Publication Date: 6/18/2014
Citation: Liu, C., Latona, N.P., Taylor, M.M. 2014. Preparation of nonwoven and green composites from tannery solid wastes. American Leather Chemists Association Meeting. p. 101.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The disposal of solid wastes, such as trimmings and splits generated in various manufacturing processes in a tannery, is a serious challenge to the hides and leather industries. Our effort to address this challenge is to develop new uses and novel biobased products from solid wastes to improve prospective markets for the hides and leather industries. The collagen fiber networks derived from those solid wastes were utilized to prepare high performance green composites and air filters. Collagen fiber networks were obtained from split hides that had been processed to remove the noncollagenous materials through the hair removal, liming, and bating steps. Previous research was devoted to understand the effects of dehydration on the resultant fiber networks and the effects of processing steps such as bating, pickling, and crosslinking treatments on the morphology and physical properties of the fiber networks derived from un-tanned hides, which will be the starting material for constructing air filters and green composites. This study focused on preparations of nonwoven and green composites derived from fiber networks. Nonwoven sheets were prepared using paper-making technology. They were then used as reinforced components to make composites that use gelatin as the matrix. Mechanical properties were evaluated for the resultant composites; results showed that the fiber sizes and gelatin content have significant effects on the properties of resultant nonwoven and composites.