Assessment of Tannery Solid Waste Management and Characterization A Case of Ethio-Leather Industry Private Limited Company (EliCO)
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Date
2012-11
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Addis Ababauniversity
Abstract
Tanning industry generates large quantities of solid wastes during leather manufacturing
process and subsequently during effluent treatment. From this point of view, in this study
assessment on solid waste management practices and physicochemical characterization of the
solid wastes generated from tannery were made at Ethio-Leather Industry Private Limited
Company (ELICO) so that to propose appropriate tannery solid waste management options.
The assessment made showed that the types of tannery solid wastes are de-dusted salt, raw
skin trimmings, hair, fleshings, splitting waste, pickle trimmings, chrome shaving, crust
trimmings, finished leather trimmings and sludge. Determination of the solid waste
generation rates using material balance analysis techniques shows that in processing 7,251
ton of cattle hide and sheep skins annually, the tannery generates a total of 4048.96 tonne of
solid waste from beamhouse, tanning, re-tanning, finishing processes and effluent treatment
plant. It was found that 859kg of solid waste is generated during processing one tonne of wet
salted hide. Similarly, 262kg of solid waste is generated during processing the same amount
of sheep skins. It was observed that beamhouse operations have more than 60% contributions
in generating the solid wastes. The solid wastes were characterized for pH, moisture content,
volatile organic compound, ash content, calorific value, carbon content, total nitrogen
content, carbon to nitrogen ratio, chromium content, sodium content and calcium content
using standard solid waste analysis methods and the experimental result reveals that more
than 90% of the solid wastes are organic. In order to propose solid waste management options
for tannery solid waste, solid waste management strategies (source reduction, recycling and
composting, waste transformation/waste to energy and landfilling) were reviewed and two
basic thermo-chemical waste to energy technological options (incineration and
pyrolysis/gasification), biochemical conversion process (Anaerobic digestion/biomethanation)
and composting were found to be viable to manage tannery solid waste and
proposed based on the physico-chemical characteristics of the solid waste
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Private Limited Company Elico