GG237

GUIDE

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY BEST PRACTICE PROGRAMME

WASTE MINIMISATION IN THE LEATHER INDUSTRY

GOOD PRACTICE: Proven technology and techniques for profitable environmental improvement

WASTE MINIMISATION IN THE LEATHER INDUSTRY

This Good Practice Guide was produced by the Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme

Prepared with assistance from: Ashact Ltd The British Leather Confederation (BLC)

Crown copyright. First printed October 2000. This material may be freely reproduced in its original form except for sale or advertising purposes. Printed on paper containing a minimum of 75% post-consumer waste.

SUMMARY

Converting raw hides to finished product involves significant chemical and water usage and generates a substantial amount of waste. This Guide seeks to encourage companies in the leather industry to minimise their waste, improving both their competitive position and their environmental performance. Improvements can be made in almost every area of activity - chemical use, water use, waste disposal, drying and packaging. Many of the suggested waste minimisation measures can be implemented at little or no cost. The first step in any waste minimisation programme is to assess what is currently happening on-site. The Guide outlines a simple mass balance technique that will allow companies to gain a clear understanding of process and water inputs, outputs and wastes throughout the site. Results from this stage can then be incorporated into an initial waste review to identify opportunities for waste minimisation. Blank forms are provided to help companies carry out a waste review more easily. Chemical use in the leather industry is a major expense (it typically represents the second highest operating cost after raw hides) and each chemical may have the potential to affect the environment. The Guide lists opportunities to use alternative chemicals or processes, and suggests how to minimise the existing use of chemicals without compromising the quality of the finished product or the environment. Similarly, the Guide lists practical measures for reducing water use, minimising process energy requirements and reducing the volume of liquid and solid wastes. Examples of cost savings already achieved by tanneries are given throughout the Guide. The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 require obligated tanneries to recover and recycle specified tonnages of packaging waste in line with EC targets. Some simple ways to reduce obligations are covered in the Guide. Finally, the Guide discusses implementing a waste management programme to encourage long-term commitment to the principles of waste minimisation and suggests an Action Plan for getting started on making savings.

CONTENTS

Section 1 Introduction 1.1 Why minimise waste? 1.2 The purpose of this Guide 1.3 The impact of current legislation Understanding the processes 2.1 The mass balance approach 2.2 Understanding process inputs and outputs 2.3 Carrying out a waste review: basic techniques 2.4 Wastes checklist Chemical use: opportunities for improvement 3.1 Alternative processes or materials 3.2 Minimising chemical use Minimising water use 4.1 Assessing current water use 4.2 Water optimisation 4.3 Simple water-saving options 4.4 Water re-use and recycling Minimising raw material use and reducing wastes for disposal 5.1 Liquid wastes 5.2 Solid wastes 5.3 Wastewater treatment and disposal: are you in control? Optimising drying processes Minimising energy wastage 7.1 Good housekeeping 7.2 Motors and drives 7.3 Compressed air Packaging 8.1 Hides and skins 8.2 Chemical containers 8.3 Product packaging Implementing a waste management programme Action Plan Sources of further information Further reading Blank forms

Page 1 1 2 3 5 5 7 9 14 16 16 18 21 21 22 22 23 25 25 25 28 29 31 31 31 32 33 33 33 34 35 37 38 40 41

6 7

9 10 11 12

Appendix

1 INTRODUCTION

The UK leather industry produces high quality leather, which satisfies a selective market and competitive niche. However, tighter legislation, cheaper imported leather goods and an increase in the cost of hides and skins are forcing tanneries to assess their processes, with a view to reducing costs and negative environmental impacts while maintaining profits and leather quality.

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1.1 WHY MINIMISE WASTE?

Waste costs money. Data from waste minimisation clubs and from recent waste management initiatives reveal that waste costs the average UK manufacturing company 4% of business turnover. Most companies can usually reduce waste by 25% through waste minimisation, achieving savings equivalent to 1% of turnover. Reducing the amount of waste your company produces will increase profits and give it a competitive edge. Each pound saved goes straight to the bottom line. Consider how much product you need to make to cover the cost of waste. On a 10% nominal profit margin, saving 100 in waste is equivalent to the profit from 1 000 of sales. Waste is not just discarded solid materials. It also includes wasted time, loss of materials to air or drain, and unnecessary or excessive use of chemicals, energy and water. Even efficient companies produce waste. Every process in a company produces waste and is, therefore, a potential target for waste minimisation. Companies rarely add up how much waste is actually costing them and often perceive their waste costs to be less than they really are. In a recent survey, ten companies estimated their waste at just 4% of the actual cost. Studies have shown that this gross underestimation is common in businesses of any size. When working out your waste costs, dont just consider disposal costs. While these may be substantial, you need to consider the materials that are in the waste and the cost of treatment, energy and wasted labour - the real cost of waste is often 5 - 20 times that of disposal.

Waste minimisation is a systematic approach to minimising the production of waste at source. A company can always reduce the amount of waste it produces. Bear in mind the waste hierarchy (Fig 1) as a focus for considering your options. Minimising waste is usually best for the environment and offers the best route to cost savings. Your company may also need to reduce waste to comply with current legislation (see Section 1.3).
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Eliminate

Reduce

Re-use
Product

Material

WASTE ONLY

Disposal

Recycle

Fig 1 The waste hierarchy

1.2 THE PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDE

This Good Practice Guide has been produced to help companies in the leather industry to reduce waste and, therefore, improve both their environmental performance and their competitive position. Many options are available to enhance process raw material use and to minimise process wastes. The Guide aims to raise awareness of these options and show tanneries how to save money by adopting a range of practical initiatives, many of which involve good housekeeping or other no-cost or low-cost measures. While there are some processes and constituents of processes that are common to most tanneries, the technology and methodology employed are both diverse and complex. Each waste minimisation suggestion will need to be assessed to ensure its applicability and cost-effectiveness for your particular operation. The Guide is divided into a number of sections to enable you to target areas for improvement and take actions to produce quick, substantial savings right from the start. Sections include: s s s s s opportunities for improving chemical and water use; waste disposal; drying processes; mechanical processes; packaging.

1.3 THE IMPACT OF CURRENT LEGISLATION

For some companies, legislative pressure is a key driver for addressing waste production. The effect of stricter environmental legislation is to increase incentives for minimising waste. In addition, there is more emphasis on tackling waste at source, rather than merely disposing carefully of generated waste. Much of the legislation governing the UK leather industry is found in various parts of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990. Most UK tanneries are authorised under Part I of this act, as Part B processes subject to Local Air Pollution Control (LAPC) which regulates air emissions only. LAPC is administered by Local Authorities in England and Wales, and by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in Scotland. For leather manufacturers in Northern Ireland, see the contact details in Section 11. Some companies that carry out leather coating where volatile organic compound (VOC) use is greater than 5 tonnes/year have an LAPC authorisation for this activity. Currently, no tanneries are authorised as Part A processes under the Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) provisions of Part I of EPA, which regulates emissions to air, land and water. The IPC provisions are administered by the Environment Agency (EA) in England and Wales or SEPA in Scotland. For advice about regulations in Northern Ireland, see the contact details in Section 11. All tanneries have a duty to ensure that waste is only passed on to persons authorised to deal with it. This comes from Part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and is often called the Duty of Care. The Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive came into force at the end of October 1999, and is now being implemented in the UK. For details on how this affects current and future installations in tanneries in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, see the appropriate contact details in Section 11. IPPC is designed to prevent, reduce and eliminate pollution at source. It goes further than IPC, by including for the first time: s s s noise and vibration, energy efficiency, environmental accidents and site protection; the pollution impact of an activity or plant, by assessing the best environmental way of doing the job; a wider variety of installations including some tanneries.
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The legislation will initially apply only to new installations and to substantial modifications to existing processes, but by 2008 it will be applied to all installations. Tanneries which produce more than 12 tonnes per day of finished product will be classed as Part A2 processes and subject to full IPPC regulation. Other tanneries will be subject to a modified form of LAPC regulation. The Landfill Directive (Council Directive 1999/31/EC) came into force in the EU in July 1999 with the aim of reducing the amount of biodegradable waste disposed of to landfill sites. The UK currently disposes of over 85% of municipal waste by this route, some 29 million tonnes in 1995. Of this waste, 60% was biodegradable (ie 17.4 million tonnes). By 2006, the Directive aims to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill in the UK to 13.05 million tonnes (ie 75% of the total amount (by weight) disposed of by this route in 1995). To meet this target, the 1999 UK Government Budget outlined plans to increase the rate of landfill tax by an additional 1/tonne per year, bringing the standard rate tax (for active waste) to 15/tonne by 2004. This sends a strong signal to companies to reduce their dependence on landfilling. Alternatives to landfill include recovering, recycling and composting of waste.

As tannery wastes are not classified as municipal wastes, they are not subject to this specific target. However, the Landfill Directive also places a duty on the UK to take measures to reduce the total quantity of all biodegradable waste disposed of to landfill. This includes some tannery wastes, such as fleshings. From April 2001, the Government proposes to introduce a climate change levy. It is likely that tannery energy bills will increase as a result of the levy. The levy will be charged on industrial and commercial use of energy and covers primary and secondary fuel used for the purposes of lighting, heating, motive power and power of appliances. Primary fuel is defined as that obtained directly from natural sources such as coal and natural gas; secondary fuel is defined as that derived from primary sources of energy, such as electricity generated by burning coal, gas/oil and coke. As a direct result of the outbreak in the UK of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the leather industry has been limited in the options available for disposing of domestic bovine by-products of an untanned nature. No such material may currently go into food, feed, cosmetics or pharmaceuticals, and untanned by-products of controlled hides (from animals kept out of the food chain) must be disposed of by incineration through authorised channels, even if rendered into protein solids and tallow. Packaging waste regulations apply to companies (or groups of companies) with an annual turnover of 2 million which process at least 50 tonnes of packaging materials a year (The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Amendment) Regulations 1999). Consequently, companies that fall into this category are obliged to be responsible for the recovery and recycling of a quantity of packaging waste proportionate to the quantity of packaging that they handle.

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Free advice about the legislation governing your operation is available through the Environment and Energy Helpline on 0800 585794.

2 U N D E R S TA N D I N G T H E P R O C E S S E S

Proven waste minimisation schemes have demonstrated that significant cost savings can be achieved with little or no investment, simply by improving housekeeping and operating practices. In most cases, understanding the material flows through a process is key to achieving cost savings. There are three guiding principles for waste minimisation initiatives:
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s s s

put in only what is necessary - reduce raw material costs and reduce the volume and strength of the effluent; get the most out of what you put in - improve process efficiency; make the most of any waste - re-use or recycle waste streams and reduce disposal costs.

Unless you fully understand what is involved with each process, you will not be able to control inputs and outputs.

2.1 THE MASS BALANCE APPROACH

Before you start your waste minimisation initiatives, it helps if you have a clear understanding of each process in terms of inputs and outputs. One way of achieving this is to carry out a mass balance assessment. A mass balance assessment is based on the simple principle that the total mass of material going into the process should equal the total mass going out, ie Input Losses = Output. Example inputs include raw materials, packaging (eg pallets, plastic drums and containers, polythene, sacking and cardboard), consumables (eg gloves, aprons and ear defenders) and utilities or services serving each process (eg water, energy, steam, cooling water and compressed air). Example losses include waste materials, air emissions and waste generated by the utilities or services. Output is the final product(s). It is best to start by looking at your company as a whole, breaking down the site into a series of blocks, with each block representing a process, activity or location with inputs and outputs. Look at inputs and outputs over a period of time, say a year. The longer the period, the smaller will be the impact of production variations on the assessment. Gather data from utility bills, production records, waste disposal records, etc. Choose a common unit of mass to measure all inputs and outputs (eg tonnes or kg).

INFORMATION MAY BE AVAILABLE ON-SITE

For some processes the mass balance may be very detailed. Presenting the mass balance as a diagram (Fig 2) makes it easy to understand and use as a management tool. By generating a mass balance for each part of a process you can be sure that you have identified all of your waste streams and you will know where to direct your efforts to maximise savings. Video (V217) A Fresh Pair of Eyes: Identifying Waste Minimisation Opportunities, available through the Environment and Energy Helpline on 0800 585794, provides practical help and can be shown to operators to get them started.

Air emissions
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Energy WASTE

INPUTS Raw materials Packaging Consumables Utilities or services: Water, energy, etc

OUTPUTS

TANNERY PROCESS

Product

WASTE

Solid and liquid

Trade effluent

Fig 2 The mass balance approach - overall assessment

2.1.1

Tracking water use

It is a good idea to treat water inputs and outputs as a separate issue, forming a water balance. A water balance is a numerical account of where water enters and leaves your business, and where it is used within the business. If you find that your actual water consumption and production of wastewater (based on meter readings and water and effluent bills) is greater than your theoretical values (based on calculations), it may indicate a leak or unknown water use somewhere on-site. Leaks from taps and pipes are common and avoidable. Hidden overflow pipes or unattended hoses can also contribute to excessive or unnecessary use of water.

Information on how to set up a water balance and some examples of cost-effective water saving opportunities are outlined in Good Practice Guides (GG152) Tracking Water Use to Cut Costs and (GG67) Cost-effective Water Saving Devices and Practices, available free of charge through the Environment and Energy Helpline on 0800 585794.

2.2 UNDERSTANDING PROCESS INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

Each process in a tannery has inputs in terms of water, raw materials and energy. To manage your processes effectively, you need to understand how much of each input is used at each processing step. Similarly, each tannery process has outputs, including products, solid wastes, waste heat, wastewater and air emissions. Again, to manage your processes effectively, you need to understand the rates of each output. Many processes in the leather industry absorb raw materials and other valuable resources, such as heat and energy. There are a large number of processes on an individual site, for example: s s s s s s rinsing in water; physical and chemical processes for the removal of unwanted natural materials, such as hair and flesh (eg fleshing and liming); application of chemicals for preservation or to change physical characteristics, such as pickling, tanning, dyeing and fat-liquoring; mechanical processes to adjust the physical dimensions of hides and skins, such as trimming, splitting, staking and shaving; processes to remove water at various process stages, such as sammying and drying; surface finishing processes, such as embossing, buffing or the application of coatings containing lacquers or pigments.

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Following the same approach used to create a site mass balance, group processes according to operation, activity or location. Flow diagrams outlining typical process inputs and waste outputs in beamhouse and post-tanning operations are shown in Figs 3 and 4. These diagrams are not exhaustive and are intended to provide an overview only; actual process inputs and waste outputs will vary greatly between tanneries. More information on constructing a flow diagram can be found in Good Practice Guide (GG38C) Cutting Costs by Reducing Waste: A self-help guide for growing businesses and (WMIT) Waste Minimisation Interactive Tools (IT96), available free of charge through the Environment and Energy Helpline on 0800 585794.

Beamhouse operations Inputs Wet-salted hide/skin Process Salted stock Outputs Key: Liquid Solid Energy Gas Product
* Where appropriate Such as chrome

Water, wetting agents, bactericide/fungicide

Soaking

Dirt-laden, saline liquors

Mechanical
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Green fleshing*

Green fleshings

sulphate, vegetable tans, syntans

Lime, sodium sulphide Water

Liming/unhairing

Hydrogen sulphide Excess lime, sodium sulphide, hair, alkaline water Lime fleshings

Mechanical

Lime fleshing

Ammonium salt, sodium metabisulphite, bate Water Salt Water, sulphuric acid Tans, sodium formate, sodium bicarbonate Hot water

Deliming/bating

Ammonia

Pickling

Excess salt, acid water

Tanning

Excess tans, acid water

Fig 3 Examples of process inputs and waste outputs for beamhouse operations

Post-tanning operations Inputs Process Tanning Outputs Key: Liquid Solid Energy Gas Product

Fat liquors Hot water

Fat-liquoring

Excess fat liquors

Mechanical

Drying

Heat

Mechanical

Shaving/trimming

Tanned shavings/trimmings

Dyes Hot water

Dyeing

Excess dye

Mechanical

Drying

Heat

Mechanical Solvents, water-based finishing products

Finishing

Dust Excess solvents, water-based finishing products

Fig 4 Examples of process inputs and waste outputs for post-tanning operations

2.3 CARRYING OUT A WASTE REVIEW: BASIC TECHNIQUES

2.3.1 Compile an inventory of processes
Once you have prepared flow diagrams, such as those presented in Figs 3 and 4, for your site operations, you can compile an inventory of each of the site processes, listing the process name and a brief description. It may be helpful to assign a number to each specific process, so that it can be clearly referenced in all waste minimisation paperwork. The numbering could indicate the building or area of the site where the process occurred, or be grouped to indicate wet and dry processes. Dont confine the inventory to those processes that lead directly to products. Remember to include support activities, such as warehousing, vehicle fleet operations, canteen facilities, toilets and laboratories, to build a complete company picture. The inventory provides a checklist of activities which will need to be studied in greater detail to identify waste minimisation opportunities. Fig 5 shows an example inventory for a typical tannery. A blank form that you can copy and fill in to document your processes is contained in the Appendix. INVENTORY OF PROCESSES
Site name: Anytown Process name Any description Page:
section

of

Assigned process number

Unhairing Fleshing Trimming Splitting Chrome tanning Sammying

North shed Process A North shed Process B South shed Process C South shed Process D South shed Process E South shed Process F

Fig 5 Example inventory of processes

2.3.2

Map each process

Once the inventory of processes is complete, you need to focus in detail on the inputs and outputs of each individual process. Consider each process in turn, and make sure that you include everything associated with the process, not just those inputs, outputs and wastes that you consider the most important or the most expensive to buy or dispose of. Section 2.4 lists possible wastes for each department or service at a tannery, to help you identify all your waste streams. Use the information to create a process map. Fig 6 shows a possible process map for liming/unhairing, which appeared in the beamhouse operations flow diagram (Fig 3). 9

Beamhouse operations Inputs Process Salted stock Outputs (products and wastes)

Soaking

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Lime Sodium sulphide Water Electrical power Labour Maintenance etc

Green fleshing Wastewater Process solid waste Waste packaging Waste heat Gas/vapour emissions etc

Liming/unhairing

Lime fleshing

Deliming/bating

Pickling

Tanning Fig 6 Example of process map: liming/unhairing

Working from each process map, prepare lists (you can also number these if it is helpful) of all the inputs, products generated and other outputs associated with a particular process. Record on these lists why the inputs (such as energy or materials) are made and what happens to all outputs (such as solid waste disposal routes). Figs 7, 8 and 9 show example lists for three individual processes in a typical tannery. Blank forms that you can copy and fill in to document your processes are contained in the Appendix. INVENTORY OF INPUTS
Process name:

Chrome tanning South shed Process E

Page:

of

Process number: Input name

Input use

Bicarbonate Chrome salts Electricity

... % by weight per skin ... % by weight per skin ... kWh per skin

Fig 7 Example inventory of inputs for a chrome tanning process

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INVENTORY OF OUTPUTS (PRODUCTS)

Process name:

Splitting Process D

Page:

of

Process number: Product name

Product use

Butt (Import) Grain

Foodstuff Feed for chrome tanning (Process E)

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Fig 8 Example inventory of product outputs for a splitting process

INVENTORY OF OUTPUTS (WASTES AND EMISSIONS)

Process name:

Splitting Process D

Page:

of

Process number: Output name

Output fate

Butt (UK) Excess Butt (Import)

Sometown Waste Disposal Ltd Sometown Waste Disposal Ltd

Fig 9 Example inventory of wastes and emissions outputs for a splitting process

Use the inventories of inputs, outputs and wastes to calculate the costs of raw materials, water, energy and generated wastes associated with each process stage on, say, an annual basis. Once you have assigned a cost to each item, you can rank them in order of importance for waste minimisation initiatives, ie those with the highest associated costs or highest use are worth targeting first.

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Fig 10 shows an example inputs and wastes summary for a first soak process. A blank form that you can copy and fill in for each particular process or site area is contained in the Appendix. INPUTS AND WASTES SUMMARY
Organisation: Prepared by:

AN Other Leather Co A Manager

Annual quantity Units

Input/output Process name and number: Rank (by quantity)

Splitting South shed Process D

Cost (/year) Rank (by cost)

Inputs and wastes

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Raw materials

N/A
Water

Initial soak Rinse Floor hosing

Energy

4 400 8 800 66

m3/year m3/year m3/year

2 1 3

2 970 5 940 45

3 2 5

Paddle
Wastes/emissions

5 280

kWh/year

370

Trade effluent

13 266

m3/year

6 633

Fig 10 Example inputs and wastes summary for a first soak process

Once you have generated inputs and wastes summaries for each process or site, collate all the information relating to major items to give you an idea of what your current level of waste is costing. The total cost should provide an incentive for taking action to minimise waste and should allow you to set targets. Fig 11 shows an example site waste costs summary. A blank form that you can copy and fill in for your site is contained in the Appendix. In the case of water, it is important to understand how much water is purchased (and for what purposes) and how much is disposed of (and by which routes). The unit cost for water will vary depending on the original source (eg towns water or borehole) and the extent of treatment, if any, required on-site. Similarly, the disposal cost for a given volume of effluent will depend on various factors, including the ultimate disposal route and the nature and extent of contamination. You may, therefore, find that you can reduce water costs by reducing water use or by avoiding or reducing the presence of particular contaminants in effluent.

Review your waste costs regularly. Generating new calculation and summary tables will provide the necessary information for continuous improvement; when the more costly wastes have been tackled, other waste streams will move up the rankings.

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SITE WASTE COSTS SUMMARY

Item Usage (units) Units cost (/unit) Total cost () Waste (%) Waste amount (units) Cost of waste ()

Raw materials

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Packaging

Pallets
Utilities

Electricity Gas Water Towns water Borehole water Effluent 100 000 50 000 150 000 0.65 0.09 1.40 65 000 4 500 210 000 60 70 100 60 000 35 000 150 000
Total Fig 11 Example site waste costs summary

39 000 3 150 210 000

2.3.3

True costs of waste product and waste streams

If you calculate the cost of carrying out each process in /m2 of hide, you can compare the cost of each process. This will reveal the most expensive stages of processing. It also demonstrates that the cost of wasting hide or skin is greater after several process steps (as shown in Fig 12).

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COST OF WASTE
Basis:

4 m2/hide
Cost of producing 1 m2 of hide by the process () Value of 1 m2 of hide after process (cumulative total) ()

Process name

Soaking
section

0.08 0.05 0.5 0.1 0.2 0.5

Fig 12 Example impact on hide value of typical beamhouse processes

0.08 0.13 0.63 0.73 0.93 1.43

Fleshing Liming/unhairing Deliming/bating Pickling Tanning

2.4 WASTES CHECKLIST

While every workplace is unique, the following checklist contains waste streams common to many businesses involved in leather processing. It is designed as a memory-jogger, to help you to identify all the waste streams on your site to be listed in the process output inventories.
WASTE MINIMISATION OPPORTUNITY CHECKLIST Department/service Incoming materials Area Loading docks, pipelines, receiving areas Possible waste Packaging/containers Off-specification deliveries Damaged containers Spill residue Cleaning rags, etc Pallets (non-returnable) Gloves, overalls, etc Storage (raw materials, parts, final products) Tanks, silos, warehouses, drum storage, yards, storerooms Tank bottoms Off-specification materials Damaged containers Empty containers Leaks from pumps/valves/pipes Out-of-date materials No-longer-used materials Damaged products Production Salting, soaking, fleshing, liming, unhairing, pickling, tanning, fat-liquoring, drying, shaving, trimming, dyeing, finishing Wash water Solvents evaporating Off-specification products Dyes Empty containers Sweepings Ductwork clearout

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WASTE MINIMISATION OPPORTUNITY CHECKLIST (continued) Department/service Production (continued) Area Possible waste Additives Oil Process solution dumps Rinse water Excess materials Fleshings Hair Leaks from tanks/pipes/valves Spill residue Trimmings Shavings Dust Packaging of dispatched goods Energy Buildings, processes, boiler plant and plant distribution system High temperatures Lights left on Taps left running Doors left open Air leaks from compressor lines Heat loss through roof/doors/windows High tariffs for electricity, gas and water Lamps beyond economic life Poorly controlled or inefficient heating/hot water systems Electric motors over five years old Process heat not re-used Water Processes, toilets, kitchens Urinals flushing continually Underground leaks Taps left running Wasteful wash-downs Support services Laboratories, maintenance shops, garages, offices Chemicals Samples and containers Solvents Cleaning agents Lubricating oils and greases Scrap metal, wood Caustics Filters Acids Batteries Office paper, etc Other Consumables Detergents Overalls Gloves
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3 CHEMICAL USE: OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

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Chemical use in the leather industry is essential for leather processing and generating a product of the required quality. It is, however, expensive (it typically represents the second highest operating cost after raw hides) and each chemical may have the potential to affect the environment. Consequently, optimising chemical use offers considerable scope to make substantial savings and to reduce environmental impact, often without the need for large investment. Opportunities exist to use alternative chemicals or processes, or to minimise the existing use of chemicals, thereby minimising waste and increasing profits without compromising the quality of the finished product or the environment.

3.1 ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES OR MATERIALS

New developments in the chemicals and processes used in the leather industry offer the chance to increase yield and maintain or improve quality, while at the same time minimising by-products and waste. Using alternatives can make a significant contribution to cleaner processing and increase profits.
ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES OR MATERIALS Process Preservation of hides and skins: Salting Reasons to change Increasing costs for purchase and disposal of effluent. More stringent consent limits on chloride levels in effluent. Alternatives Dry methods, eg drag salting where stock is processed quickly. Biocide sprays or potassium chloride. Chilling for short-term (3 - 21 days) preservation. Using other sources of coolth available locally, eg carbon dioxide and liquid nitrogen. Flo-ice (ice crystals in solution of brine, alcohol or sugar) for rapid cooling. Biocide ice for longer-term preservation (greater than three weeks). Freezing. Unhairing Contributes substantial proportion of total effluent load (typically 55% chemical oxygen demand (COD), 55% suspended solids, 70% biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and 40% nitrogen). Enzymes1 (alkaline proteases) in conjunction with reduced sulphide loads. This approach can significantly reduce the liming time. Hair removed intact from follicle can be removed by coarse screening, reducing BOD and suspended solids in wastewater. Disposal costs of solid waste - limited market for hair-save products, such as fertilisers. Considerations Product quality implications. Any changes to health and safety measures. Environmental impact. Importation restrictions. Any additional costs.

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ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES OR MATERIALS (continued) Process Pickling Reasons to change Method and chemicals used can enhance effectiveness of subsequent processes. Acid type and salt use should optimise chrome uptake and ensure correct product characteristics. Poor optimisation will lead to excessive use of tans. Alternatives Organic acids (instead of mineral acids). These offer the opportunity to exclude salt from pickling recipes. A pre-tanning agent following salt-free pickling (as in the commercial production of wet-white). This may enable splitting and shaving to be carried out before tanning, reducing tan consumption. Enzymes1 (alkaline stable and Surfactants may acid acting lipases, or alkaline inhibit lipase action. stable proteases). These enzymes reduce the amount of surfactant required and reduce VOC emissions. May also result in more uniform grease removal and improved dye uptake. Synthetic tans as an alternative to chrome tanning. These may reduce wastewater disposal costs while maintaining product quality and characteristics. Other mineral tans as an alternative to chrome tanning. Finishing High use of solvents in coatings and colourings. Heavy metal in pigments, adding to effluent treatment costs. In spraying operations, to reduce wasted finish. Water-based finishing systems. Trialling of alternatives is needed Heavy metal free pigments. to ensure that Roller coating (for pigments, product quality and characteristics are oils/waxes and topcoats), maintained. screen-printing and foam finishings in place of spraying, to reduce wasted finish. High volume/low pressure spray gun systems. These will reduce coating bounce back, increasing the transfer efficiency. Product characteristics. Thermal stability. Potential toxicity of alternatives. Considerations Product characteristics. Any additional costs.

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Degreasing (sheepskin only)

Conventional degreasing methods often use volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or environmentallyunacceptable surfactants. Organic solvents may result in VOC emissions to air or wastewater. Water-based degreasers may impact on solid or liquid wastes. For chrome tanning operations, to reduce excessive levels of chromium salts in wastewater. For all tannage types, to minimise environmental impact.

Tanning

Further free information on biotechnology options in leather processing is available through the BIO-WISE Helpline on 0800 432100.

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3.2 MINIMISING CHEMICAL USE

There are two possible approaches to minimising chemical use: s s waste reduction at source; wastewater (end-of-pipe) treatment.

The first approach is more cost-effective than the second. Minimising waste at source involves optimising the quantity of chemical used for each process, by examining chemical concentration, drum floats and chemical uptake. It can result in significant savings in terms of the cost of the chemicals themselves and the cost of disposing of wastewater laden with excess chemicals.
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End-of-pipe options involve treating the wastewater that is generated from a process and, where possible, recovering and recycling chemicals and water from the various waste streams. This may result in the generation of lower volumes of wastewater, which in turn may have a lower COD and suspended solids content. In most cases in the UK, trade effluent discharge-to-sewer charges are based on a formula which charges on the basis of volume and strength of effluent. Consequently, this approach represents a two-fold saving. There are opportunities to minimise chemical use at each stage of the process, often involving minimal investment. Outlined below are some practical suggestions and tips on ways to improve your current practices, with Industry Examples showing how companies in the leather industry are already benefiting by taking action. The cost and environmental benefits of reducing raw material use and suggested actions are discussed in Good Practice Guide (GG25) Saving Money Through Waste Minimisation: Raw Material Use, available through the Environment and Energy Helpline on 0800 585794.

3.2.1

Good housekeeping

Minor changes to your housekeeping practices may enable you to minimise chemical use without compromising the quality of the leather produced and without the need for large investments. s s s s Keep all chemicals in a designated storage area. If any are removed from storage, keep a record of their whereabouts. Maximise shelf-life by storing chemicals according to the instructions, eg away from water, heat or light. Sensitivity to frost can also be an issue for some chemicals (eg emulsifiers). Buy chemicals in quantities that reflect your process needs. Where appropriate, buy in bulk to minimise costs. Rotate stock - operate a first-in-first-out policy to eliminate the need to dispose of out-ofdate containers through special waste routes. Label containers clearly with the date of purchase and highlight the expiry date. For each chemical, open only one container at a time. Replace the lid or reseal the bag after use to prevent unnecessary spillage and to prevent dry chemicals caking. Try to empty containers completely. Any residual chemical classifies the container as special waste for disposal purposes. A leather manufacturer took steps to ensure that empty cans were checked to make sure that they were really fully drained. This resulted in substantial savings in chemical costs and landfill tax.

s s

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If a process requires a mixture of chemicals, make up only small quantities as and when required, especially when individual components have a limited storage time. Chemical mixtures may have different storage requirements compared to the chemical constituents. Weigh out chemicals accurately, rather than adding a little bit more, just to make sure. Avoid using excess chemical just to empty a container.

3.2.2

Process throughput and management

To optimise chemical use, you need to understand the purpose of each process step, the rationale behind the choice of chemicals used and the effect of parameters, such as temperature, pH and salt, on chemical uptake and/or process efficiency. In addition, you need to identify which factors dictate process efficiency, so that they can be measured, monitored and, where necessary, optimised. s s TIP s s Where necessary, document the purpose of each process step, optimum chemical levels and process parameters. Make sure that processes are carried out in the correct order to minimise chemical use. Carry out trimming at the earliest opportunity to avoid disposing of tanning and dyeing chemicals in solid waste consignments. Control chemical additions, in line with process throughput. Measure chemical consumption, to identify excessive or unnecessary use. It may help to measure and monitor the chemical content of the wastewater, to determine excessive use.
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3.2.3

Salt use

Increasingly stringent consent limits on chloride levels in effluent make minimising salt use a priority area for many tanneries. By reducing the amount of salt used, you can minimise the cost of the raw material and reduce effluent costs. s s TIP Monitor salt use. Ensure that no excess salt is used in the pickling process. Investigate if you can reduce the amount of salt used in pickling without affecting product quality. Whenever possible, re-use pickling liquors for the following batch of hides/skins (topping up salt and acid concentrations as necessary).

3.2.4

Liming/unhairing liquors

Liming/unhairing liquors constitute a large proportion of the total effluent load. By reducing the amount of lime and sulphide used, you can minimise the cost of raw materials and reduce effluent costs. In addition, the volume of wastewater will be reduced without increasing the concentration of the chemical components. TIP Whenever possible, re-use liming/unhairing liquors for the following batch of hides/skins (topping up lime and sulphide concentrations as necessary).

3.2.5
s

Deliming/bating

You may be able to make savings by optimising your existing processes. Monitor chemical use to make sure that you are not using more than you need. The buffering nature of ammonium salts means that excess amounts could be added without detriment to product quality. Optimise the number of float changes used for deliming.

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s s

Set the process parameters, such as pH, temperature, and enzyme concentrations, to optimise the effects of the bating process. Where carbon dioxide is used for deliming, consider the most effective means of contacting the gas with the float; injection into a recirculating flow of liquor via a Venturi may be more effective than simply adding gas to the headspace of a drum through the gudgeon.

3.2.6

Tanning

If you use chrome tanning, you need to minimise levels of chromium salts in the wastewater, to minimise environmental impact and waste disposal costs. If chrome uptake can be improved, the quantity of chrome used can be reduced and the concentration in the wastewater will be lower, resulting in lower effluent costs.
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s s s s

Measure chrome uptake and also measure and monitor the chrome content of the wastewater, to identify excessive use. Control chrome use in line with skin weights. Maximise chrome uptake by adjusting process parameters such as pH, temperature, reaction time, chromium concentration and ligands use to enhance process effectiveness (masking). Consider using supplementary materials, such as pre-tanning agents, chrome complexing agents and catalysts, or modify operations, such as extending liming times, to enhance chrome uptake. (Chrome complexing agents aid the formation of chrome-collagen complex and may increase process efficiency.)

3.2.7
s s

Finishing

Finishing processes offer several opportunities to reduce chemical use. Examine your finishing processes and work out the true costs of your coating and colourings, including disposal of generated effluents, residues and waste packaging. Wherever possible, adapt your processes to optimise the amount of chemical used. For example, install photoelectric spray economiser controllers (magic eye sensors) to existing machinery to minimise overspray of dyes and other finishing materials. Consider using roller coating instead of spray coating to minimise overspray. Changing a rotary spraying system on one of its finishing machines to a conventional spray gun and economiser unit helped one tannery to reduce waste spray from 40 - 60% to 20 - 40%. The new system cost 4 000. With raw material costs at an average 1.50/kg, the company realised chemical cost savings in excess of 550/week or 27 000/year, giving a simple payback period of under two months. s Wherever possible, recover and re-use overspray. One tannery collects solvent overspray from the gutters on its spray machines. All waste solvents are mixed and processed using a small on-site solvent recycling machine (purchase cost 3 268), currently operating at 250 litres/week with an 80% recovery. The resultant solvent is low-grade and can only be used to clean machinery. However, this has eliminated the need to purchase acetone to clean the machinery (9 000/year), representing a simple payback period of under five months. Solvent recovery has also resulted in further substantial savings by eliminating the need to dispose of the overspray waste.

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4 M I N I M I S I N G W AT E R U S E

Water can constitute a large proportion of a companys waste. Water costs are rising, yet it is relatively simple to save water. Companies that have not implemented any water-saving measures can often reduce water-related costs by up to 50%. Companies that have implemented some water-saving measures without adopting a systematic approach to water reduction can typically reduce their water-related costs by around 20%. Reducing water consumption results in a reduction of effluent production, realising savings in both water supply and effluent disposal. Producing less wastewater and/or re-using or reclaiming components of wastewater also reduce the risk of polluting the environment, which has many benefits including avoiding the risk of prosecution.
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Some ways in which water use can be reduced are described in Good Practice Guide (GG26) Saving Money Through Waste Minimisation: Reducing Water Use, available through the Environment and Energy Helpline on 0800 585794.

4.1 ASSESSING CURRENT WATER USE

1. Carry out a water survey to find out the origins of the water used on-site. You may use mains supply, groundwater abstraction (pumped from a borehole), surface water abstraction (pumped from a river/lake) or collected rainwater. Find out how much water is used and for what purposes. Walk around the site at different times to see where the water is used. If shift work is practised, make sure you look at each shift, and also check water use during periods of non-production. For example, machinery may be switched off but the cooling water system or water used to raise a vacuum may have been left on. Try to identify whether all the water use is necessary and whether the best option is being used, eg equipment may not need cooling water. Find out where the water goes. There are usually three drainage systems on sites - effluent drains, surface water drains and foul sewers. Make sure that waste is disposed of through the correct drainage route. For example, does rainwater run off drains into the sewer, to be subsequently paid for as effluent? Calculate the cost of water used in processing. Remember to include direct costs (supply of water and effluent treatment) and indirect costs (such as maintenance, pumping, heating and cooling).

2.

3.

4.

Information on how to set up a water balance, procedures used to identify leaks and opportunities to reduce water use are given in the Good Practice Guides (GG152) Tracking Water Use to Cut Costs and (GG67) Cost-effective Water Saving Devices and Practices.

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4.2 WATER OPTIMISATION

When you look at your water use and wastewater production, remember the three guiding principles of waste minimisation outlined at the start of Section 2. s s Investigate and optimise the quantities and qualities of water that are used in the process. For example, if feasible, use smaller drums to process smaller batch sizes. Only use water where necessary. For example: s
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remove salt solids by mechanical means, such as brushing, in addition to, or in place of, soaking in water; monitor water use when hides or skins are first rinsed of salt or acid preservatives, to produce guidelines for when rinsing is complete; control and measure the quantity of water used per unit weight of skin; where a bath of water is used, rinse the maximum number of skins per filling.

Carry out processes in the correct order to minimise water use. For example, trim at the earliest opportunity to avoid using water to process a part of the hide/skin which will subsequently be disposed of as solid waste. Reduce water use to the practical minimum in batch recipes for tanning and dyeing processes. The strength of materials and conditions (such as temperature and pH) may be critical for process effectiveness. Make sure that you use the most effective process. Continuous, uncontrolled rinsing through processing drums after wet processes can lead to high water wastage. Examine whether a number of batch rinses might achieve similar product quality results while using less water.

4.3 SIMPLE WATER-SAVING OPTIONS

While every business will be different, there are many water-saving options that are applicable to most businesses. s TIP s Check for excessive or unnecessary water use. For example, taps and hoses can be left on and forgotten. Fitting a nozzle to a hose is cheap and easy to do. Having a trigger grip will ensure that water is switched off when the hose is not in use. Use your water survey to detect all water use and pinpoint unidentified or cross connections, broken valves, incorrectly set valves or control systems and leaks to maximise savings. Leaks underground are often hard to detect, but areas of lush vegetation may indicate a leak. Check all taps and visible pipes for leaks, especially in areas where no water usage data are available. Remove any unused equipment which might cause leaks, eg unused hoses. A tannery carried out a water survey and found a hose pipe that could not be switched off (consuming around 500 m3 water/year), a faulty valve on the chrome drum and leaks in areas where drums and associated pipework had been disconnected. Fixing leaks and replacing faulty valves resulted in estimated water and effluent savings in the range 1 000 - 1 600/year. s Eliminate overflow. Most overflows run to drain without being measured, with many overflow pipes hidden. Improvements in water management, such as repairing faulty control valves and installing shut-off valves, should significantly reduce the problems.

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Consider installing additional water meters to monitor water consumption of specific machines, processes or areas of the site. They may help to locate leaks or identify the source of unknown water usage. The benefits of additional meters are outlined in Environmental Performance Guide (EG98) Water Use in Textile Dyeing and Finishing available through the Environment and Energy Helpline on 0800 585794. Use water efficiently. A piece of equipment can be efficient, but its allocated use may not be. If a hose is turned on for two hours a day (flow rate 1 m3/hour), 360 days a year - regardless of use - this can result in costs of 1 116/year in water and effluent charges (at 1.55p/m3, UK 1999 prices). However, if the hose need be on for only 20 minutes a day, this would save 930/year in water and effluent costs. Similarly, if the hose needs to be on for two hours a day, but only five days a week, this saves 310/year in water and effluent costs.

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Remember

OUT OF SIGHT may mean OUT OF MIND but it will leave you OUT OF POCKET

Use brushes/squeegees/scrapers to remove solids from areas before they start to dry out, minimising or often eliminating the need for wash water. Using a hose to clean floors and surfaces may consume a large volume of water, especially if the hose is left unattended or forgotten. Caked-on dirt can take longer to remove and can pose corrosion problems if the slurry has a high salt, acid or alkali content.

4.4 WATER RE-USE AND RECYCLING

Within the constraints of product quality and health and safety considerations, there are several tannery operations in which re-use or recycling of water might be worth considering. s s Re-use relatively clean water from rinsing of previous batches of hides or skins for subsequent batches. Re-use final rinse waters as a first rinse. Rinse water can often be more effectively used by rinsing a product in a series of tanks or stages. For example, in countercurrent rinsing the product is initially rinsed in dirty water and then in progressively cleaner water. Concurrently, the rinse water moves progressively from the last rinse towards the first rinse (Fig 13). 23

WATER BIL

Fresh water supply

Work

Rinse A

Rinse B

Rinse C

Rinse D

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Countercurrent rinsing Fig 13 The principle of countercurrent rinsing

Examples of countercurrent rinsing are outlined in Good Practice Guides (GG160) Minimising Chemical and Water Waste in the Metal Finishing Industry and (GG67) Cost-effective Water Saving Devices and Practices, and in New Practice Case Study (NC11) Rinsing and Chemical Recovery System Achieves Large Savings, all of which are available through the Environment and Energy Helpline on 0800 585794. s s Use rinse waters for other duties, such as floor washing, raising a vacuum or making batches of chemicals for subsequent chemical treatments, if compatible. Recycle chemicals from wastewater. For example, it may prove viable to recover chromium from spent tanning liquors by precipitation and redissolving.

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5 M I N I M I S I N G R A W M AT E R I A L U S E A N D REDUCING WASTES FOR DISPOSAL

5.1 LIQUID WASTES

In some cases, liquids, which might otherwise constitute waste, can be recycled rather than used on a once-through basis. For example, organic liquids used for degreasing duties can be recycled after separation from brine by gravity settling. The separation processes used need monitoring to check that they are effective. A better alternative may be available. For instance, gravity settling of two liquid phases often results in interfacial material, which may be of little use or monetary value and may require special disposal. In these cases, if large amounts of such material are generated, consider enhancing separation, perhaps by lengthening the settling time. Distillation can be used to recover useful materials, such as fats from degreasing agents. A large tannery collects its soaking/degreasing waste liquors in gutters situated under the rotating drums. The fat from the skin is distilled off and the paraffin and brine are allowed to settle. The soaking/degreasing process uses around 8 000 litres of paraffin each week, of which 6 900 litres are recovered for re-use (86% recovery). The brine solution is also re-used in subsequent batches. The re-use of paraffin alone represents savings of 46 500/year in purchase and disposal costs.

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5.2 SOLID WASTES

Solid wastes are generated at a number of points in tannery processing. Any reduction in the amount of solid waste disposed of off-site - through improving process control, treating waste before disposal or finding outlets for the waste generated - can dramatically reduce your disposal costs.

5.2.1

Optimising process control

Raw materials can be optimised using computer numerical control (CNC) technology. Leather is delivered in the form of single hides. Due to the nature of the material, there will always be defects or patches of inferior quality resulting from tears, scratches, insect bites and colour discrepancies. A good cutting system will identify the optimum cut from each hide, ensuring that any blemishes are only included in areas where they will not impact upon product quality.

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A high-quality upholstered furniture manufacturer has purchased a leather cutting machine for 300 000. The hide is laid out on the surface of the machine which is perforated to create a vacuum, which holds the leather in place. An operator marks defects with an electronic pen, grading them from 1 (minor) to 4 (major). This grading is displayed on a computer monitor to ensure that no blemishes are missed. Leather with minor category defects may be suitable for use in certain parts of a chair, such as the chair base, whereas only unblemished leather may be used on upper surfaces. Once all blemishes have been entered, the computer will work out the optimum cutting arrangement for the hide (see Fig 14). A plastic sheet is then rolled over the hide to hold it steady during the automatic cutting operation. Benefits of the machinery include: s s s s s A small reduction in leather wastage rates. Optimum use of any slightly defective material. More consistent cutting accuracy which reduces problems further down the production line. Generation of data on hide utilisation, defect levels and seriousness. Significant labour reduction. The machine has multiplied the output per person in the cutting area by three to five times.

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Defects 1. Minor 2. Moderate 3. Significant 4. Major

Fig 14 Optimising hide use through automatic cutting machinery

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5.2.2
s TIP s

Good housekeeping
Keep work areas tidy to reduce the frequency of items such as gloves and aprons being lost. Inform staff of the costs of disposing of consumable items to encourage re-use. Sort trimmings to maximise opportunities for re-use.

5.2.3
s -

Find outlets for waste

Look for outside organisations that might have a use for your solid waste. For example: trimmings may be suitable for use as filler materials;

A small tannery processing sheepskins gives some of its chrome-trimmings to a local boxing club to fill their punch bags. larger trimmings may be suitable for making items such as purses, watch straps or key fobs.

One tannery keeps hand-sized, dyed trimmings, which it then sells at 25 pence/kg. The trimmings are used to manufacture key fobs.
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5.2.4
s

Treat waste to reduce volume

Reduce the volume of fleshings prior to disposal. Fleshings can be bulky with a high water content, but can be stored so that water is removed under gravity, resulting in substantial savings in disposal costs. Mechanical compactors can be used, but may prove an expensive, ineffective and high-maintenance option.

A tannery, typically processing 50 000 skins/week, generates around 1 300 kg fleshings/week. In the past, untreated fleshings were collected in skips and disposed of to landfill. However, through effective compaction, fleshings are now handled as a solid rather than a liquid waste, saving 850/year in disposal costs. s Consider briquetting. This practice can effectively increase the bulk density of solid wastes from dust extraction equipment prior to disposal.

5.2.5

Segregate waste

Segregate waste into paper, cardboard, wood, metal, plastic, containers holding residual chemicals, trimmings, shavings/dust and rubbish. A disposal cost can be converted into revenue by recycling waste, realising substantial savings. Segregated waste can often be collected free of charge, collected at a lower charge than the landfill tax or, in some cases, you may be able to sell your waste (eg trimmings).

Did you know...?

The landfill tax is chargeable by weight and there are two rates. Inert waste is charged at the lower rate (2/tonne), whereas active waste is charged at the standard rate of 10/tonne. If waste contains both inert and active materials, tax is due on the whole load at the standard rate. In some cases, the water content of waste can be discounted, but only where it is not present naturally. However, you will need written approval from your local Landfill Tax Officer. To qualify for a discount, the water content of the waste must be a minimum of 25% (by weight). Circumstances include: s s water added to allow transportation for disposal; water that has arisen and/or been added in the course of an industrial process. 27

5.3 WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL: ARE YOU IN CONTROL?

Wastewater treatment is an important consideration in any waste minimisation or cost reduction programme. Costs are directly incurred as a result of running effluent collection and treatment systems, and in discharge to sewer or surface water. Wastewater treatment is covered in detail in Good Practice Guide (GG175) Improving the Performance of Effluent Treatment Plant, and detailed information is available about the types of effluent treatment in GG37 Cost-effective Separation Technologies for Minimising Wastes and Effluents, GG54 Cost-effective Membrane Technologies for Minimising Wastes and Effluents and GG109 Choosing Cost-effective Pollution Control. All publications are available through the Environment and Energy Helpline on 0800 585794. A typical wastewater treatment installation may consist of pH adjustment and solid-liquid separation to remove suspended solids, metals (such as trivalent chromium) and some chemical oxygen demand (COD). Failure to control treatment plants closely can lead to excessive losses of materials. Make sure that your plant has:
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s s s

adequate control of process conditions, such as feed flow rate, retention times, temperature and pH; the appropriate chemical additives, such as coagulating and flocculating agents; optimised dosing of treatment chemicals in relation to expected pollutant loads and wastewater flow rates, by sampling and in-situ monitoring.

Make sure you understand why specific treatments are necessary, perhaps by developing a pollutant map showing the points of origin of wastewater contaminants. Such a map will help to prioritise processes for waste minimisation measures. Sludges that normally result from the operation of effluent treatment plants may contain significant quantities of water, even after settling. Lowering the moisture content of a waste sludge prior to off-site disposal can lead to significant savings in haulage costs and other disposal charges, such as landfill tax. A small tannery was spending 8 951/year to dispose of a wet sludge slurry (approximately 5% solids) produced from its effluent treatment plant. In 1995, the company fitted a filter press costing 9 510 (purchase price plus installation) to the outlet of the existing effluent plant, which reduced the water content of the slurry (to approximately 40% solids). The disposal cost of the sludge cake was 1 085 for the year immediately following the installation of the filter press, giving a simple payback period of around 14 months.

One tannery collects sludge (comprising mainly of process waste from tanning and dyeing operations) in a series of open submersed pits at the coarse screen of its effluent treatment plant. In the past, this wet sludge was collected six times a year by tanker and disposed of to landfill at a cost of 6 000/year. By draining off the water, the sludge cake is now handled as solid waste. A digger is used six times a year to transfer wet sludge to slotted cages where it is left to drain for a week. The dried sludge (3 tonnes on each occasion) is then transferred to a skip, which is sent to landfill. The cost of the digger plus the disposal cost of the sludge cake to landfill is 1 200/year, representing a cost saving of 4 800/year.

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6 OPTIMISING DRYING PROCESSES

Hides and skins are dried after tanning and dyeing operations. Drying over a long period allows the grain and flesh sides of the hide/skin to dry evenly. In most tanneries in the UK, heat needs to be generated for drying processes, making it a high energy consuming process. With the introduction of a climate change levy (see Section 1.3), you need to consider ways to minimise drying energy use. s s s Assess your drying efficiency by looking at your energy bills. Consider alternative ways of drying. Remove excess moisture prior to drying. Where feasible, take advantage of natural drying. In one tannery, hides are attached to a conveyor belt which is raised above the sammying machines. This uses the heat generated from the machines to aid the drying process without taking up floor space. s s TIP s s Do not over-dry hides/skins. This results in increased energy costs and increased shrinkage of the hide/skin. Excessive shrinkage is an issue particularly if the hide/skin is sold by area. Make sure that drying room doors are kept closed and correctly sealed, and board up windows. Consider insulating roof voids and installing cavity wall insulation. Effective insulation can reduce heat losses by up to 90%. Make sure drying rooms are dry. Check walls for damp caused by, for example, leaking gutters and downpipes, faulty damp-proof courses or damaged roof tiles. Optimise thermostat settings in the drying rooms. Where necessary, install more thermostats for increased control of zones and update existing thermostats. An electronic thermostat allows close temperature control and costs about 30 - 50. Older bimetallic thermostats can allow room temperatures to vary by 3C from the set temperature. Operate boilers efficiently and service them regularly. Poorly operated or maintained boilers can increase heating costs by up to 30%. If boiler equipment is old, consider replacing it. Gas condensing boilers achieve 90% heat transfer efficiency, compared with the 50 - 75% efficiency achieved by old fossil fuel boilers. Check lagging of pipes, valves and flanges. Make sure that you are using the most appropriate insulation material and thickness. Check for ill-fitting insulation, which allows air to circulate between the insulation and the pipe. Also check pipes for leaks - waterlogged insulation material is considerably less efficient, heat loss is excessive and water make-up expensive.

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29

The substantial cost savings achievable by insulating pipe fittings are demonstrated in Good Practice Case Study (GPCS274) Insulation of pipe fittings, available through the Environment and Energy Helpline on 0800 585794.

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s s

Investigate the potential for heat recovery, for example, for boiler prefeed or space heating. Control space heating to prevent overheating during milder weather. Optimise vacuum efficiency. Advice on how to do this is contained in Good Practice Guides (GG101) Reducing Vacuum Costs and (GPG83) Energy efficient liquid ring vacuum pump installations in the paper industry, available through the Environment and Energy Helpline on 0800 585794. Where possible, consider the use of combined heat and power (CHP) schemes. Contact the Environment and Energy Helpline on 0800 585794 for the relevant publication list and details of the CHP Club (also accessible through www.chpclub.com).

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7 MINIMISING ENERGY W A S TA G E

Reducing energy bills has always made good business sense. The introduction of a climate change levy (see Section 1.3) is likely to increase energy bills for tanneries. It is, therefore, vital to reduce energy use wherever possible, to minimise the impact of the levy. Many no-cost and low-cost changes to current practices can result in substantial savings. General advice on energy efficiency and access to a wealth of publications on energy-saving initiatives are available through the Environment and Energy Helpline on 0800 585794.

7.1 GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

s Carry out processes in an order that will minimise energy consumption. For example, carry out trimming at the earliest opportunity to avoid using high energy processes on a part of the hide/skin which will then be disposed of as solid waste. Avoid unnecessary or excessive use of energy. For example, switch off lights when areas are not in use, eg at lunchtime, between shifts or after hours. For a short trial period, one tannery switched off the lights during lunchtime (one hour) and shiftbreaks. The company calculated the savings to be worth over 350/year, equivalent to the profit from 3 500 of sales. This lighting procedure is now standard practice and the company is thinking of installing sensors to control lighting in the toilets to increase savings.
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Review lighting in premises. Small changes can result in a substantial reduction in electricity costs. Examples where changes in lighting practices have resulted in substantial cost savings are described in Good Practice Case Studies (GPCS174) Energy efficient lighting in factories and (GPCS309) Energy efficient lighting in industrial buildings, available through the Environment and Energy Helpline on 0800 585794.

In areas with infrequent occupation, such as stock rooms and drying rooms, install timer switches on lights or use passive infrared (PIR) sensors to detect activity, to ensure that lights are not left on. PIRs can also be used in washrooms to control fans and the flushing of urinals.

7.2 MOTORS AND DRIVES

Electric motor and drive systems account for a substantial proportion of electricity use in the leather industry. Large cost savings with short payback periods can be achieved by implementing small improvements in motor efficiency and management and are described in General Information Leaflet (GIL56) Energy savings from motor management policies. s s s s Review your processing requirements. You need to know where you are using energy for motors and drives to assess the potential for savings. Make sure machinery is switched off when not in use and after hours. Where appropriate, switch off machinery during lunch breaks and between shifts. Remember to switch off ancillary equipment, such as exhaust systems and systems used to raise vacuums, when the machines they serve are switched off. Service all machinery regularly. 31

A tannery found that oil was leaking from the bearings of the dye drums. It was thought that this was due to the use of excess oil. Each of the six dye drums has two bearings. Before taking action, each bearing consumed 0.25 litre/day of oil per drum at a cost of 72p/litre, resulting in annual costs of 561.60. By reducing the amount of oil used to a total of 1 litre/day, the company achieved cost savings of 374.40/year. More recently, the oil has been replaced with grease, with annual grease consumption estimated at 1 kg. Since the cost of grease is around 1/kg, this represents further material cost savings of 186.20/year. s Use the most appropriate motor or drive system: Check motor sizes. Many industrial motors are oversized for their application and, therefore, usually run at below peak efficiency. Consider higher efficiency motors (HEMs), which are, on average, 3% more efficient than standard motors and cost about the same. Look at the cost savings of using motor controllers (often referred to as voltage controllers, smart controllers, or black-boxes). These constantly adjust the voltage to the motor terminals so that it is just sufficient to meet the load and generally incorporate a soft-start facility that reduces the current used to start the motor. Consider using electronic variable speed drives (VSDs), also referred to as black-boxes. These match the input to and the speed of the motor to meet the load requirements. In most cases, motor controllers and VSDs can easily replace existing motor starters.

If you operate machinery during weekdays, check your electrical usage at weekends. What should be left running, and what could be switched off?

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7.3 COMPRESSED AIR

Compressed air is a reliable and adaptable power source, but it is not cheap, using 10 units of electricity to provide one unit of compressed air. s Service the air compressor system regularly and always use the correct spare parts. Irregular and incorrect maintenance of compressors can lead to poor performance and reduced efficiencies. One tannery operated four air compressors (including two 30 kW compressors used for embossing). A survey of its air compressor system revealed 23 leaks, ten of which needed urgent action. The cost of leaks associated with one of the 30 kW compressors was calculated to be 23 pence/hour or around 11% of the electricity costs for the machine. Simply by fixing these leaks, the company calculated the annual saving in electricity for this compressor to be 280. The site aims to reduce losses due to leaks to 5%. s s s Switch off compressed air systems when they are not needed. Use inlet air from outside the building. Efficiency can be improved by around 2% if the temperature of the inlet air is reduced by 8C. Consider replacing air compressors. Substantial cost savings are achievable, as described in Good Practice Case Study (GPCS233) Energy and cost savings from air compressor replacement, available through the Environment and Energy Helpline on 0800 585794.

Did you know...?

Ninety per cent of the electricity used by a compressor is lost as heat. Depending on the type of compressor, this may be available as hot water or warm air, which could then be used elsewhere on-site. 32

8 PACKAGING

Reducing the quantities of packaging and cutting associated costs are issues that are applicable to all companies. Packaging may be involved at each stage of a process, from raw materials to processed goods. The term is used to describe materials that contain and/or protect goods, help with handling and delivery, and identify products. Recent legislation (see Section 1.3) is proving a key driver for many companies to address packaging use and waste. Even if your company is not obligated, you may be affected by others in your supply chain. You will find further details on packaging issues, together with useful tips on how to reduce your packaging use and waste, in Good Practice Guides (GG140) Cutting Costs and Waste by Reducing Packaging Use and (GG141) Choosing and Managing Re-usable Transit Packaging, and (ET250) Unpack Those Hidden Savings: 120 Tips on Reducing Packaging Use and Costs, all of which are available free of charge through the Environment and Energy Helpline on 0800 585794.

8.1 HIDES AND SKINS

s s TIP Avoid using containers that do not stack. Consider implementation of palletised deliveries. Pallets can often be recycled, re-used or sold. Look for secondary uses for packaging. For example, polythene wrappers may be re-usable in-house, eliminating the need to buy polythene. Several tanneries re-use polythene to cover horsed skins or hides. This retains moisture in the hide/skin between processes, where there may be a substantial standing-period and dehydration poses a problem. The re-wetting of hides and skins uses water and is time consuming.

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8.2 CHEMICAL CONTAINERS

s Explore the possibility with suppliers of returning packages (such as drums) for disposal or refilling. A tannery bought some of its chemicals from a company operating a returns service. Although there was a small increase in the cost of the chemicals (a cleaning charge of 5 for each 200 kg drum), the containers were collected free of charge. Prior to adopting this policy, non-returnable drums were cleaned and delivered to a local scrap merchant. s s Look at the possibility of cleaning containers/drums and removing labels so that they can be disposed of as plastic or metal waste, rather than special waste. Segregate waste to maximise opportunities for recycling containers/drums rather than their being disposed of to landfill sites.

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8.3 PRODUCT PACKAGING

s Where possible, keep packaging to a minimum and consider buying recycled materials such as paper, cardboard and polythene - it helps to stimulate demand for recycled products and they can prove cheaper than non-recycled materials. One tannery uses recycled polythene as part of its product packaging at a cost of 0.85/kg compared with 1.28/kg for non-recycled polythene. On average, 27 kg of polythene is used each week, representing an annual saving of around 560. Similarly, recycled paper is used at a saving of 7 for 480 sheets, representing an annual saving of 280. s If you use cardboard tubes to dispatch finished products in the UK, consider operating a returns policy. This would help your customers to reduce their packaging waste and may help to improve your company image.

section

34

9 IMPLEMENTING A WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

A waste minimisation programme comprises various projects or activities, each designed to reduce some form of waste. Initiatives need to be co-ordinated to ensure that the main problem areas are targeted first and that work is not repeated for no gain. This Section outlines what steps you need to take to set up a programme, to ensure that you get the most out of your waste minimisation initiatives.

The implementation of a waste management programme in the workplace is described in detail in Good Practice Guide (GG27) Saving Money Through Waste Minimisation: Teams and Champions. A detailed account of environmental management systems (EMS) is described in Good Practice Guide (GG137) How to Set Up Environmental Management Systems in the Textiles Industry. Both Guides are available free of charge through the Environment and Energy Helpline on 0800 585794.

1.

Set up a team to drive and co-ordinate waste minimisation initiatives. A well-focused team can achieve far more than an individual or a group of individuals working alone. Collectively, they can see more, generate more ideas and solutions, raise more support and increase motivation. Estimate the size of your waste problem. Following the advice in Section 2, carry out a waste review to identify all sources of waste and their associated costs. It is important to identify the factors that dictate process efficiency so that they can be measured and monitored. Use the data from the waste review to get senior management commitment to reducing the problem. Publicise the review results company-wide. It is important to communicate with staff and educate and train them about the need to minimise waste. Prepare a policy statement showing commitment to waste minimisation at work. It will ensure that everyone in the company understands what you are trying to do. Have the policy statement approved by senior management, making it a part of the companys work policy. Set targets for waste minimisation. Use data from the waste review to identify some no-cost and low-cost options that will rapidly produce (large) savings and publicise the results. These savings will demonstrate what can be achieved and will encourage long-term commitment to the programme. Repeat the waste review. Use the mass balance approach to assess waste costs on a regular basis, to chart improvements using the results from the initial review as a base-line. Monitor processes by taking regular measurements that will highlight annual and seasonal trends to give a clearer view of what progress you are making. Re-evaluate your options and targets in light of any changes in operating procedures, inputs, outputs and associated costs. Discuss the merits of new developments and novel technologies applicable to the leather industry. By implementing any changes and monitoring the effects, a cycle for continuous improvement can be established (Fig 15).
section

2.

3.

4.

5. 6.

7.

8.

35

Initial review

Measure

Implement

Measure to Manage

Compare

Generate ideas and prioritise options

Fig 15 Cycle for continuous improvement

A large, multi-site tannery has implemented a waste management scheme at one of its sites, which focuses on better, faster, cheaper manufacturing. The programme tackles a series of issues including energy and material conservation, continuous improvement/benchmarking and commitment. Successful waste minimisation resulted from three key areas: s s s
section

senior management commitment; team working; employee involvement in the waste review.

36

10 A C T I O N P L A N

Your next step is to draw up an Action Plan, which will allow you to implement a waste minimisation programme in your workplace. Using a checklist, like the example shown in Fig 16, will help you to develop your plan, set real-time targets and detail staff participation. A blank checklist is contained in the Appendix, for you to copy and fill in. WASTE MINIMISATION: ACTION CHECKLIST
Action Identify interested parties Form a management team Draft a policy statement Get a statement of commitment from senior management Publicise the project: inform staff of the need for waste minimisation Put in place the means of maintaining staff participation Map your processes: get to understand your process requirements Compile your inventory of processes Compile inventories of inputs, including water and energy Compile inventories of products, wastes and emissions Develop tools for continuous improvement, such as the review table Fill in any data gaps Identify areas where improvements in processing can be made Identify practices which could be used to improve processing Carry out a cost-benefit assessment of options Prioritise your waste saving options Implement your ideas - start with quick or no-cost/low-cost examples Publicise successes Set targets and monitor progress Develop a plan for continuous improvement Fig 16 Example Action Plan By whom When

JP JP JP

1/5/00 14/5/00 by 10/5/00

section

10

37

11 S O U R C E S O F F U R T H E R I N F O R M AT I O N

Changes in technology and the regular introduction of new chemicals and enzymes for use in leather processing make it advisable to assess current practices regularly, to ensure that you are using the best, most efficient options for your particular situation. This Section lists useful sources of information on recent advances and current best practice, to help you to maintain your competitive position.

Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme

Environment and Energy Helpline 0800 585794 E-mail: etbppenvhelp@aeat.co.uk Web site: www.etbpp.gov.uk The Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme is a Government-funded programme that helps companies in the UK to become more competitive through improving their environmental performance by reducing waste at source. Information is disseminated through publications, and the Programme is also involved in workshops, seminars and waste minimisation clubs. The Environment and Energy Helpline and the Programme web site provide contact points for the Programmes services, which are all free of charge.

Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme

Environment and Energy Helpline 0800 585794 E-mail: etbppenvhelp@aeat.co.uk Web site: www.energy-efficiency.gov.uk The Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme is a Government-funded programme that helps companies in the UK to become more competitive by reducing their energy use. Free, practical advice is disseminated through publications, workshops and seminars.

The Environment and Energy Helpline on freephone 0800 585794 can:

s s
section

provide up to two hours of free confidential, expert advice on any environmental or energy efficiency problem; send you copies of relevant Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme and Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme publications; suggest other sources of information; arrange for a specialist to visit your company if you employ fewer than 250 people (at the discretion of the Helpline Manager).

11

s s

38

BIO-WISE - Biotechnology at Work

BIO-WISE Helpline 0800 432100 E-mail: biowise.help@aeat.co.uk Web site: www.dti.gov.uk/biowise Fax: 01235 432997 The BIO-WISE Programme, funded by the DTI, offers free, independent advice on how UK companies can use biotechnology to reduce business costs, and improve their environmental performance and competitive edge. Specific guidance for leather companies is available through the BIO-WISE Helpline and the web site.

Environment Agency
Web site: www.environment-agency.gov.uk

Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)

Head of Policy Co-ordination (AIR) SEPA Head Office Erskine Court The Castle Business Park Stirling FK9 4TR Tel: 01786 457700 Fax: 01786 446885 E-mail: info@sepa.org.uk Web site: www.sepa.org.uk

Department of Environment (Northern Ireland)

For information on those processes that are classified as Part A and B processes, contact: Department of Environment (NI) Environment and Heritage Service Calvert House 23 Castle Place Belfast BT1 1FY Tel: 028 9025 4754 Fax: 028 9025 4865 For information on those processes that are classified as Part C processes, contact the Chief Environmental Health Officer in your Local Council.

section

11

IPPC
European Web site: www.eippcb.jrc.es

British Leather Confederation

Leather Trade House Kings Park Road Moulton Park Northampton NN3 6JD Tel: 01604 679999 Fax: 01604 679998 Web site: www.blcleathertech.com

39

12 F U R T H E R R E A D I N G

Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme Publications

Good Practice Guides GG25 GG26 GG27 GG37 GG54 GG62 GG67 GG101 GG109 GG137 GG140 GG141 GG152 GG160 GG175 Saving Money Through Waste Minimisation: Raw Material Use Saving Money Through Waste Minimisation: Reducing Water Use Saving Money Through Waste Minimisation: Teams and Champions Cost-effective Separation Technologies for Minimising Wastes and Effluents Cost-effective Membrane Technologies for Minimising Wastes and Effluents Water and Chemical Use in the Textile Dyeing and Finishing Industry Cost-effective Water Saving Devices and Practices Reducing Vacuum Costs Choosing Cost-effective Pollution Control How to Set Up Environmental Management Systems in the Textiles Industry Cutting Costs and Waste by Reducing Packaging Use Choosing and Managing Re-usable Transit Packaging Tracking Water Use to Cut Costs Minimising Chemical and Water Waste in the Metal Finishing Industry Improving the Performance of Effluent Treatment Plant

Environmental Performance Guide EG98 Water Use in Textile Dyeing and Finishing

New Practice Case Study NC11 General ET250 Unpack Those Hidden Savings: 120 Tips on Reducing Packaging Use and Costs Rinsing and Chemical Recovery System Achieves Large Savings

Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme Publications

Good Practice Guide GPG83 Energy efficient liquid ring vacuum pump installations in the paper industry

Good Practice Case Studies GPCS174

section

Energy efficient lighting in factories Energy and cost savings from air compressor replacement Insulation of pipe fittings Energy efficient lighting in industrial buildings

12

GPCS233 GPCS274 GPCS309 General Focus GIL56 GIR63

The managers guide to reducing energy bills Energy savings from motor management policies Energy management pathfinder

All the publications listed above are available free of charge through the Environment and Energy Helpline on freephone 0800 585794. 40

Appendix BLANK FORMS

These blank forms are for you to photocopy and use to record the information you need for your initial review, and to develop your Action Plan. Please adapt them as necessary for your processes and site.

A1

appx

41

INVENTORY OF PROCESSES
Site name: Process name Any description Page: of Assigned process number

42

GG237 published by the Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme.

Helpline 0800 585794

INVENTORY OF INPUTS
Process name: Process number: Input name Input use Page: of

GG237 published by the Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme.

Helpline 0800 585794

43

INVENTORY OF OUTPUTS (PRODUCTS)

Process name: Process number: Product name Product use Page: of

44

GG237 published by the Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme.

Helpline 0800 585794

INVENTORY OF OUTPUTS (WASTES AND EMISSIONS)

Process name: Process number: Output name Output fate Page: of

GG237 published by the Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme.

Helpline 0800 585794

45

INPUTS AND WASTES SUMMARY

Organisation: Prepared by: Inputs and wastes Annual quantity Units Input/output Process name and number: Rank (by quantity) Cost (/year) Rank (by cost)

Raw materials

Water

Energy

Wastes/emissions

46

GG237 published by the Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme.

Helpline 0800 585794

SITE WASTE COSTS SUMMARY

Item Usage (units) Units cost (/unit) Total cost () Waste (%) Waste amount (units) Cost of waste ()

Raw materials

Packaging

Utilities

Total

GG237 published by the Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme.

Helpline 0800 585794

47

WASTE MINIMISATION: ACTION CHECKLIST

Action Identify interested parties Form a management team Draft a policy statement Get a statement of commitment from senior management Publicise the project: inform staff of the need for waste minimisation Put in place the means of maintaining staff participation Map your processes: get to understand your process requirements Compile your inventory of processes Compile inventories of inputs, including water and energy Compile inventories of products, wastes and emissions Develop tools for continuous improvement, such as the review table Fill in any data gaps Identify areas where improvements in processing can be made Identify practices which could be used to improve processing Carry out a cost-benefit assessment of options Prioritise your waste saving options Implement your ideas - start with quick or no-cost/low-cost examples Publicise successes Set targets and monitor progress Develop a plan for continuous improvement By whom When

48

GG237 published by the Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme.

Helpline 0800 585794

The Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme is a Government programme managed by AEA Technology Environment and NPL Management Ltd. The Programme offers free advice and information for UK businesses and promotes environmental practices that: s s increase profits for UK industry and commerce; reduce waste and pollution at source.

To find out more about the Programme please call the Environment and Energy Helpline on freephone 0800 585794. As well as giving information about the Programme, the Helpline has access to a wide range of environmental information. It offers free advice to UK businesses on technical matters, environmental legislation, conferences and promotional seminars. For smaller companies, a free counselling service may be offered at the discretion of the Helpline Manager.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY HELPLINE

0800 585794
world wide web: http://www.etbpp.gov.uk e-mail address: etbppenvhelp@aeat.co.uk