Company insight
Premium tanning agents for premium leather
The roots of Voelpker Spezialprodukte as a wax producer go back to 1900, but it was only in the 1970s that the company discovered more efficient technology and started using sodium dichromate as an oxidiser for the production of high-performance wax additives that are today mainly used as additives in engineering plastic production. With chrome sulphate as a by-product resulting from this production, Voelpker entered the leather market.
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t is well known that animal skins have been used by humans for more than 400,000 years for clothing, footwear and furniture. Leather is arguably one of the first examples of recycling, where a secondary product from meat consumption was put to good use. The vegetable tanning process started around 4000 BCE, which extended the life of the skins, but in the mid-1800s chrome tanning was discovered, which reduced the time needed for tanning but also allowed softer and thinner articles to be produced. Chrome quickly became the most widely used form of tanning and today accounts for more than 90% of all leather produced.
Chrome sulphate production Various industries such as vitamin K, pharmaceuticals, pigments and waxes use sodium dichromate as an oxidising agent, producing products used in many other essential industries. A reacted chrome (III) liquor is obtained from these manufacturing processes as a by-product, which is then fully reduced with molasses or other organic reductants in further steps to form basic chrome sulphate.
It is sold mainly to the leather industry in liquid form or spray-dried to a powder, for tanning purposes. Approximately 50% of all chrome sulphate used in leather tanning (and increasing) comes via the organic reduction process, making it a significant raw material for the leather industry and part of the manufacturing process for other important industries too. Organic basic chrome sulphate is produced by the final reduction of sodium dichromate from the hexavalent to trivalent state using reductants such as molasses.
Leather International /
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liquid form also becomes increasingly attractive to many tanneries as gas or energy consumption for spray drying and later dissolving is reduced. Using Chrome in liquid form also reduces the amount of paper packaging, plastic shrink-wrapping and pallets, which has an environmental impact for those concerned with their carbon footprint. Producers save energy by not having to spray-dry the material and the tannery saves energy by not having to redissolve the product.
Liquid dosing also reduces physical effort and ensures accurate metering, and has a positive impact on health and safety of workers as dust generation is reduced.
Carbon conscious
Voelpker chrome sulphate is analysed continuously each month to ensure high quality is maintained.
Reputable and quality certified chrome sulphate producers normally use more reductant than required to ensure that no hexavalent chrome molecules remain, and that the theoretical risk of transfer in the event of accidental bad practices being followed in the tannery is reduced to a minimum. Voelpker chrome sulphate is analysed continuously each month through external laboratories such as FILK Germany to ensure that the high quality is maintained, and the product complies with all international requirements.
Liquid chrome sulphate
As energy costs increase worldwide, the option to use basic chrome sulphate in
emissions in the total supply chain, the use of organic liquid chrome starts to become more important for reasons explained above and tanneries explore ways to handle chrome in this delivery form. Voelpker’s chrome sulphate tanning agent under the tradename BASOCHROM 33 is published in the ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) gateway and thus is MRSL compliant. This confirms the commitment to the leather industry and the outstanding quality of the product. Voelpker Spezialprodukte is also a member of the LWG and currently holds an Ecovadis Silver certification. Voelpker’s chrome sulphate under the tradename Basochrom is certified by PFI Institute Germany for the production of low pollutant leather (‘SG Sign’). ●
As many tanneries and downstream consumers alike become more conscious of their carbon footprint and the CO2
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