ENERGY RECOVERING FROM TANNERIES BY BIOGAS PRODUCTION.

Environmental issues have been at the top of tanners' agenda for the last few decades, since dealing properly with tannery wastes is expensive. Overall, the leather industry should be able to reposition itself as a solution to environmental problems rather than a contributor, as there is no other industry that can make use of the total volume of hides and skins yielded by the livestock and meat industries. This has caused concerns about the fairness and appropriateness of demands made by governments, and about whether it will be possible for tanneries to operate on a level global playing field regarding the environment. In dealing with these challenges, the tanning industry had to come up with some environmental friendly solutions. Anaerobic digestion is a favorable technological solution that degrades a substantial part of the organic matter contained in tannery sludge and solid waste, biogas, helping to alleviate environmental problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]