Enhancement of Waterproofing Properties of Finished Upper Leather Produced from Bangladeshi Cow Hides

Abstract

Waterproofness property of leather can be enhanced by modifying different steps involved in pre-tanning to finishing operations. In this study three sets of experiment were conducted where tanning and finishing techniques differed to analyze the improvement of the waterproofness property. Use of surfactants and hydrophilic agents were avoided to improve this property. Moreover, different waterproof fatliquors were used and changing of the finishes in each experiment was performed to improve and evaluate the waterproofness of leathers. Waterproofness and other physical characteristic properties were assessed following standard methods. Leather samples of experiment-3 where extensive finishing was done, showed the best result of waterproofness which is significantly higher than the minimum requirement of shoe upper leather. All other physical properties except water vapour permeability of leather samples of experiment-3 were excellent as compared to other experiments. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) image of the leather sample was also analyzed.