Highly satisfactory first results
from the INNPELL research project

After a year and a half of work, the first results of the project Innovative strategy within the framework of the circular economy in the tanning sector – INNPELL- (2020-2022) have been released.

The project is led by A3 Leather Innovation Center, the research group of the Universitat de Lleida (UdL) at the Igualada Campus, made up of researchers and experts in different scientific and technological fields and specialising in the value chain of the leather industry.

In addition to A3 Leather Innovation Center, the consortium of companies taking part in the project includes other Leather Cluster Barcelona members, such as Leather Química SLU, Curtidos Badia SAU, Compañia Arrendataria de Industrial Igualadina SA, Combalia SA, Miret y Compañia SA, Curtits Aqualata SA and Igualadina de Depuració i Recuperació SL.

This project (reference COMRDI18-1-0003) has been co-financed by ACCIÓ (Ministry of Business and Knowledge), within the framework of the RIS3CAT Communities call, design industries community, as a collaborative project of industrial research, experimental development and innovation.

The project offers a new solution for implementing an innovative leather production process on an industrial scale following the principles of the circular economy.

The overall objective of the project is to undertake a new strategy in order to keep taking steps towards full sustainable development and the global integration of the leather sector within the framework of the circular economy, by eliminating those chemical products that can be replaced, minimising the use of chemicals in tanning formulations, reducing process times and the amount of mains water used, and generating purer waste, which makes its subsequent valorisation easier.

The first results have made it possible to obtain a new preservation product and process that significantly improves the environmental impact of the beamhouse stage of leather production, specifically by 90% of the chlorides in wastewater and a 25% reduction in the consumption of chemicals. In addition, a new sulphide-free unhairing process has also been achieved.