Food waste to make dyes and enhance the environmentally sustainability of the tanning process: it is the new “green” challenge that comes from the Santa Croce Sull’Arno district, this is the objective of the research project “Coconat”, promoted by the Polo Tecnologico Conciario. Leaves, peels and olive pruning are some of the products used in the project, together with waste from the canning and fruit and vegetables industry, such as tomato, onion and pomegranate leftovers.
«The idea behind the Coconat project – explains the POTECO director, Domenico Castiello – is to use waste for disposal as a starting substrate to develop innovative and ecological dyes and tanning agents: the project foresees the use of tanning base of polyphenol contents extracted from waste matrices of the food farming industry in substitution of tanning agents based on metal salts and verifies the use of natural organic dyes derived from the same waste».
Among the expected results of the project there is the reduction of more than 50% of the cost of polyphenol tanning and dyes, the reduction of about 20% of the costs of disposal by the tannery and about 30% of the quantity of sludge to be treated’. «The products obtained from the food waste matrices -adds the Director Castiello -will allow the manufacture of hypoallergenic and biodegradable products without losing in quality and performance, reducing the environmental impact of the leather production cycle».
Partners of the Coconat project, promoted under the Tuscan Regional Operational Programme ERDF 2014-2020/strategic projects Research and development, are: Conceria Lufran (applicant), Italven Tannery, KLF Tecnokimica, TECNO srl, UNIPI Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, Consorzio Polo Tecnologico Magona and Everest Srl.