Calcination of eggshell could be a lime source for leather processing in tannery

In leather processing, a significant amount of lime is required for leather processing. In this study, the effectiveness of calcined eggshell lime was compared with commercial lime for leather production. Commercial lime and eggshell lime are applied in liming operations for goatskin processing to produce shoe-upper leather. The calcined eggshells lime and conventional were characterized by X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) Spectrophotometer. The physicochemical properties of the manufactured leathers belonging to tensile strength and elongation percentage were evaluated and compared. Eggshells contain comparatively more lime (97.6%) than conventional lime (94.5%). The strength properties of the produced crust leather fulfilled the requirement of the shoe upper leather. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of the limed pelts and final leathers showed similar fibre open-up. Lime produced from waste eggshells can be an effective alternative source of lime for leather processing.