Evaluación de diferentes niveles de silicato de sodio en combinación con guarango utilizados para la curtición de pieles caprinas.

Abstract

For the assessment of caprine skin tanning, were used as agents different levels of sodium silicate in combination with guarango, therefore, tanning is the process through which rawhides and skins are converted into leather as a final usable and sellable product, 30 goat skins were used as experimental units divided into 5 treatments with 6 repetitions in each, later for the interpretation of the results a Completely Random Simple Design was used. In this way, the best results of the statistical analysis in the mechanical physical tests were when tanning with 10% sodium silicate and 8% guarango (T5), obtaining values in the tensile strength of 2861.42 N / cm2, percentage of elongation of 66.25%, lastometry of 9.97 mm and a contraction temperature of 90 °C. On the other hand, the best results in the sensory tests were only tanned with 15% sodium silicate (T2), reporting a value of 4.67 points in both fullness, softness and ease of flower. In addition, the tanning wastewater was characterized by obtaining a lower pollutant load when tanning with 10% sodium silicate in combination with 8% guarango (T5), with a BOD5 value of 7000 mg / l and a COD value of 20,000 mg / l, however, sodium silicate and guarango do not present toxicity and according to the biodegradability index obtained, they can be completely eliminated from the effluent by carrying out only physical clarification or biological processes. Finally, production costs were determined by tanning with these tanning agents, with production costs between USD 0.12 - 0.14 / dm2 of leather produced, which are within the standard costs acceptable by the tanning industry, being a profitable option to produce chrome-free leathers for export to neighboring and European countries generating greater economic gains.