Alternative uses for tannery wastes: a review of environmental, sustainability, and science

Abstract

Abstract The manufacture of leather covers a wide productive chain and beyond contributes to the economic flow. The various stages of leather processing result in high volumes of solid waste. In Brazil, a daily generation of 375 tons of solid waste is estimated, and landfills are still the most used route to its destination. In this review, emphasis will be given to researches that have sought alternatives for the use of solid waste from the tannery industry. Among the main applications of solid tannery wastes, the following stand out production of adsorbent materials, biodiesel, biogas, biopolymers, applications in agriculture and other applications involving extraction/recovery of compounds of industrial/commercial interest, isolation of microorganisms and production of enzymes and applications in the animal diet. In each alternative of waste application, the technologies used, the opportunities, and the challenges faced are mentioned. We hope that this review can provide valuable information to promote the broad understanding of the possibilities that tannery solid wastes has for the development of biodegradable and agricultural products, wastewater treatment, extraction of compounds of industrial and commercial interest, among others. Graphical abstract