Objective
Objectives (recapitulation):
The technical control of the efficiency and performance of the new crosslinkers, in combination with different binders; the development of a low impact efficient cross-linker system that can be adapted to different types of leather; the screening of application properties at a semi-industrial scale; the improvement of the quality of the sprayed leather through an extensive analysis of its characteristics; the determination of the toxicological properties of the new selected products
Scientific achievements:
Study of the filming properties and characterisation of the system cross-linkers-binders for 2 new cross-linkers at different weight ratio with respect to the binder; overview of aziridin toxicology and comparison with the new crosslinkers'; screening of application properties and ideal recipes for the new crosslinkers; finished samples of leather for different articles
Socio-economic relevance and policy implications:
The relevance of the work performed at this level is high as it can bring to a substantial reduction of the health and safety potential problems of the tannery finishing workers and to the improvement of the health quality at the workplace through a lower danger of contamination of workers with hazardous spray mist and of skin contamination. More, it can bring to the end of use of aziridinic compound in the leather sector, raising the level of risk knowledge of the workers in tanneries. The early compliance with more severe legislation for hazardous substances to be issued in the future is another important point to stimulate the European leather sector to work towards an improvement of working conditions and a lowering of the environmental impact
Conclusions:
The project can be considered extremely successful, more for the political and social relevance than for the economic point of view. The consumption of crosslinkers in the leather sector, in fact, is not big enough to justify a big research by the biggest chemical companies. Bayer, in co-operation with the Italian and Greek tanneries believed that the aziridin compound would have been replaced by less toxic compound and found a valid alternative in a carbodiimide and polyisocianate compounds.
The aim of this project is to single out a new cross-linker with low environmen tal impact to be used as cross-linking agent in a number of leather finishings. Currently, among the most frequently used products are aziridine derivatives, which are noxious, and which present many problems in handling, stocking and fo r the health and safety (H&S) of the leather workers. Moreover, aziridine monom er, a mutagenic and cancerogenic substance, is still contained in the commercia l product as an impurity. The use of aziridines as cross-linkers is due to thei r ability to improve some properties of the finish, such as resistance to scrat ch, adhesion, chemical resistance, and durability. The sheer quantity of azirid ine derivatives used as cross-linkers in a single tannery is quite modest if co mpared with the quantity of other chemicals used both in the tanning and in the finishing of leather, but aziridine derivatives are used in most tanneries tha t carry out the finishing of leather. We can estimate that the quantity of azir idine derivatives used every year in Italian tanneries is in the range of 60 to ns. The tanning sector is not alone in making use of aziridines, as these latte r are used as cross-linkers for coatings also in the textile and the wood finis hing sectors. Nevertheless, the tanning industry is undoubtedly one of the sect ors in which the replacement of noxious and toxic substances by safer ones is a priority. The objectives of this research are: (1) the substantial reductio n of the health and safety potential problems of the workers; (2) the improveme nt of the quality of the workplace; (3) the reduction in the production and tra de of hazardous substances; (4) the early compliance with more severe legislati on for hazardous substances that is likely to be issued in the near future; (5) the development of a cross-linker that can be adapted to different types of le ather; (6) the possible improvement of the quality of leather; (7) the technolo gical improvement of the leather finishing sector, accomplished through the imp rovement of chemical and environmental knowledge of finishing; (8) the improvem ent of the relations with public authorities and unions. It is important to point out that the aim of the project goes far beyond the mere compliance with H&S regulations, as it tries to provide to SMEs the possibility of adopting a p olicy of improvement of the health at the workplace through the adoption of pre vention measures like the replacement of toxic substances by less toxic ones. The research will focus on a preventive screening of existing cross-linkers a nd it will be aimed at focusing the problem of time of reticulation of the prod ucts and especially their flexibility and strength characteristics. On the basi s of these tests, either the most suitable existing cross-linker will be adopte d, or an evolution of an existing one will be studied. As a subsequent step, an experimental campaign in the participating tanneries will be set up in orde r to test the products developed on different kind of conditions and of leather (physical tests, time, temperatures...). Toxicological studies will be perform ed on most promising products and it might also be possible to perform some env ironmental analysis to evaluate the change in the conditions of the workplace. The final part of the project will consist in a series of tests aimed at det ermining the possible improvement of the procedures of use of these cross-linke rs, and in a cost-benefit analysis performed on a semi-industrial scale.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringtextiles
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcoating and films
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinetoxicology
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesforestry
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Topic(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CRS - Cooperative research contractsCoordinator
36071 Arzignano
Italy