Leather chemicals manufacturer Smit & zoon has said an antioxidant technique from the food and animal feed industries can be applied to leather and could help tanners avoid the formation of chromium VI on their finished leather. In a presentation at the XXXIII IULTCS Congress in Novo Hamburgo, Brazil, towards the end of 2015, Smit & zoon project leader, Dr Guido Batema, discussed the results of research the company has carried out on the oxidation stability of fatliquors. This study tested to see if the presence of an antioxidant in different types of fatliquors could potentially influence the oxidation processes that leather undergoes. Smit & zoon will now investigate to see if the oxidation technique can be further developed into a ‘shelf-life’ test for leather. In other words, the company wants to see if the technique can be used to determine the long-term oxidation stability of finished hides and highlight their potential for forming chrome VI during ageing. “Learning more about leather oxidation processes could help the leather industry become more sustainable, which is in line with our CSR ambition to make the leather value chain largely sustainable by 2025,” Smit & zoon said after the congress.
