Tanneries can use probiotic biochemicals to perform many of the same chemical processes as traditional leather chemicals, while reducing costs and waste and improving leather quality.
Proviera’s probiotic metabolites are hydrotropes that help both cleave off the collagen from the non-leather making substances, including fats, and disperse chemicals. They also activate the ionic groups in the side of the protein chain, thus their affinity to the processing compounds.
Consequently, biochemicals can eliminate, reduce, or be combined with soaking and wetting agents, enzymes, degreasers, dispersing agents, and dye auxiliaries. They can also improve leather quality by optimizing the up-taking of tanning and processing substances.
Wash and Soak
Tanneries’ leather-making process begins when raw hides, either cured or fresh, are cleaned by removing dirt, dung, blood, hair, and salt. This step also opens up the collagen structure of the hides.
Proviera’s probiotic biochemicals can replace or reduce chemical soaking agents, mainly surfactants and enzymes.
Main Soak
During the main soak, hides and skins are rehydrated, bringing them to a flexible condition.
Probiotic biochemicals are an effective alternative to most chemical soaking agents, either surfactants or enzymes.
Unhairing and Liming
Hair is removed, and the action of alkalis (lime) swells the protein weave of hides and skins, creating limed pelts. Proviera’s probiotic biochemicals can be added as lime auxiliaries to help lime distribution, reducing wrinkles, relax, and flatter the pelts.
Probiotic biochemicals eliminate or reduce the use of amines, organic reductive agents, and polyphosphates
Degreasing
Degreasing strips off natural fats from adipose tissue to disperse and solubilize the leather’s natural fats.
Probiotic biochemicals replace — or at least drastically reduce — degreasing agents based from blends of surfactants and lipases. They can also remove the need for solvents, as they make it easier for natural fats to be stripped.