Even in the 21st Century, the manufacture of leather retains an air
of the dark arts, still somewhat shrouded in the mysteries of a
millennia old, craft based industry. Despite the best efforts of a
few scientists over the last century or so, much of the
understanding of the principles of tanning is still based on
received wisdom and experience. Leather is made from (usually) the
hides and skins of animals - large animals such as cattle have
hides, small animals such as sheep have skins. The skin of any
animal is largely composed of the protein collagen, so it is the
chemistry of this fibrous protein and the properties it confers to
the skin with which the tanner is most concerned. In addition,
other components of the skin impact on processing, impact on the
chemistry of the material and impact on the properties of the
product, leather. Therefore, it is useful to understand the
relationships between skin structure at the molecular and macro
levels, the changes imposed by modifying the chemistry of the
material and the eventual properties of the leather. This book aims
to contribute to changing the thinking in the industry, to continue
building a body of scientific understanding, aimed at enhancing the
sustainability of an industry which produces a unique group of
materials, derived from a natural source. The Science of Leather is
the only current text on tanning science, and addresses the
scientific principles which underpin the processes involved in
making leather. It is concerned with the chemical modification of
collagen, prior to tanning and the tanning reactions in particular.
The subject is covered in the following order: collagen chemistry,
collagen structure, skin structure, processing to prepare for
tanning, the tanning processes and processing after tanning. The
aim of the book is to provide leather scientists and technologists
with an understanding of how the reactions work, the nature of
their outcomes and how the processes can be controlled and changed.
The objective is to synthesise a scientific view of leather making
and to arrive at an understanding of the nature of tanning - how
the wide range of chemistries employed in the art can change the
properties of collagen, making leather with different properties,
especially conferring different degrees of stabilisation as
measured by the hydrothermal stability. Environmental issues are
not treated as a separate theme - the impact of leather making on
the environment is a thread running through the text, with the
assumption that better understanding of the science of leather
making will lead to improved processing. The book also reflects on
the ways leather technology may develop in the future based on the
foundation of understanding the scientific principles which can be
exploited. It also includes a subject index, references and a
glossary. The book provides the reader with insights into the role
science plays in leather technology and provides fundamental
understanding, which should be the basis for scientific and
technological research and development for the benefit of the
global leather industry. The book is aimed at students, leather
scientists and technologists, in both academia and industry, in
leather production and in chemical supply houses.
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