Lanxess presents X-Biomer range at Shanghai event
05/09/2014
The new technology is based on biodegradable polymers and Lanxess has said it represents a “leap forward in retanning chemistry”.
Its vice-president for leather product development and application, Dr Dietrich Tegtmeyer, said in Shanghai: “Decades ago, the development of synthetic retanning chemistry changed the leather industry. Now, we think the time has come for a next-generation innovation that once again opens the door to the future.”
Using biodegradable polymers in the Levotan X-Biomer range allows the manufacturer to substitute petroleum-based chemicals in its range of products for retanning. It says this is “one of the key challenges for the leather industry in the years ahead”.
The company said tanners using the new range will experience “no compromise on leather quality” and a reduction in the chemical oxygen demand in their effluent treatment plants of as much as 30% compared to processes using traditional retanning polymers.
Another highlight Lanxess has pointed to is the “high biodegradability” of X-Biomer retanning agents, which are based on organic components that can easily be degraded by microorganisms in the effluent treatment.
At the end of the Shanghai event, Dr Tegtmeyer said: “We are still learning how to work with these products, but we have produced some very good leathers already. I’m 100% convinced that this type of chemistry is the beginning of a new chapter.”
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