Structural Investigation of Ethiopian Camel Hides (Camelus Dromedarius) and It’s Suitability for Leather Manufacture
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Date
2014-09
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Ethiopia has the largest livestock population in the African countries, providing a strong
raw material base for the growing leather and leather products sector. The main source of
raw material for the Ethiopian tanning industry comes from sheep, goat and cattle. Since
the Ethiopian leather industry is booming, the industry is now looking to exploit the
alternative raw materials available in the country. Camel (Camelus dromedarius) is one
of the most important livestock in the East African countries. Due to lack of awareness
and technology, most of the hides are not utilized fully by the tanners. Wet salted camel
hides were used for this study. In the present study an attempt has been made to develop
shoe upper leathers from camel hides. Owing to the excellent strength properties and the
attractive grain pattern, attempts were also made to develop leather goods and belting
leathers. The raw material was characterised for fat and collagen content and converted
into finished leather by using suitable tanning methodology and the leathers were utilized
for the preparation of different types of leathers. Histological analysis of the camel hides
were carried out. Based on the histological understanding, the strategies for making
different types of leathers were established. Three different types of finished leathers
were developed and the physical and chemical properties were also evaluated. The results
obtained from the chemical and physical tests revealed that the raw material was suitable
for the manufacture of upper leather, leather goods and belting leather.
Keywords: Camel hides, leather goods, belting leather, leather products
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Camel hides; leather goods; belting leather; leather products