This document discusses wastewater management in the Italian leather industry. It provides background on the leather sector and Arzignano tanning district. Wastewater from tanneries is treated collectively at a centralized plant. The GreenLIFE EU project aimed to reduce water usage and chemicals in tanning processes, recover byproducts, and assess new treatment technologies. Key results included decreasing water use in liming by 16-20% and producing fertilizers from process byproducts. Future challenges discussed include further improving efficiency, replacing water in some stages, expanding recovery/reuse, and taking a circular economy approach.

1. WASTEWATER: THE UNTAPPED RESOURCE
Experiences from Arzignano tanning district
Venice, 2017/03/22

2. 2
Table of contents
 The Italian leather sector
 Dani Spa
 Water management in the leather sector
 Wastewater: how to increase its value
 Water : future challenges

3. 3
The Itialian leather sector: a world leader
A key player in important value chains
Slaughter
industry
Meat
industry
Automotive
(es. Audi-VW)
Multinational brands
(es. Kering, …)
Shoe, sofa, clothing
manufacturers (EU SMEs)
Tanning
industry
By-product
Food industry

4. 4
Arzignano tanning district
The Italian tanning production is divided into four areas:
• Arzignano (Vicenza_Veneto)
• Santa Croce sull’Arno and Ponte a Egola (Pisa_Toscana),
• Solofra (Avellino_Campania)
• Turbigo (Milano_Lombardia).
It’s a typical example of the “district model” that features significant
part of the Italian manufacturing industry.

5. 5
Dani Spa
Turnover (Mln €)
Employees
People from more than 20 countries
Turnover distribution
Market sectors
• Automotive: 50%
• Upholstery: 27%
• Shoes and leathergoods: 16%
• ICT: 7%
Geographical aeas
• European Union: 84%
• USA: 10%
• Asia: 6%

6. Sustainability _ Our journey_the beginnings
Products
R&D
Operations
People
Values and culture
National R&D project: Ecological Leather Innovations
For Environment (EcoLIFE) – 2010_2012
Environmental product labels: Leather From Italy – Carbon Footprint of
Product – Environmental Product Declaration – Blaue Engel
2009-10 2011 2012 2013

7. Sustainability_Our journey_outside our gates
Products
R&D
Operations
People
Values and culture
2014 2015 2016 2017
GreenlIFE
EU R&D project:
(2014_2017)
EMS/ISO
14001:2015
Fist
Sustainability
Report
Code
of
ethics
Extensive
training
program on
safety on work
Process
EPD
HSE/BS OHSAS
18001:2007
R&D project on
circular economy
“Horizon 2020”
Global
Compact
Membership

8. Water consumption in the leather sector
Water is an essential input for tanneries.
Water is the main constraint for tanneries as it is rationed.
Tanneries have always made every effort to reduce water consumption
0
20
40
60
80
100
50s 90s 2005
80
40
34
Water consumption in the tanning industry - an historical perspective
l of water / kg of raw hides (estimates)

9. Water consumption in Dani
In 2015 Dani water consumption has been about 800.000 m3 of water , corresponding to:
• 0,13–0,15 m3 of water per each m2 of finished leather or
• 19-23 m3 of water / ton of raw hide
Benchmark1
 Conventional processing: 32-40 m3/ton of raw hide
 Best Available Techniques: 16-28 m3/ton of raw hide
1 – Source: Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document on the Tanning of Hides and Skins / Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU - 2013
Liming Tanning
Pre-dyeing
operations
Dyeing Drying Finishing
Chemical
operation
30 % of
water cons.
Raw
hide Leather
Chemical
operation
35 % of
water cons.
Mechanical
operation
0% of water
cons.
Chemical
operation
30% of
water cons.
Mechanical
operation
1-2 % of
water cons.
Mechanical
operation
4-5 % of
water cons.
Main stages of leather production cycle and distribution of water consumption

10. Wastewater treatment in Arzignano: a collective choice
Wastewater purification is centralized at the sewage treatment plant
ACQUE DEL CHIAMPO.
This company purifies wastewater from 160 tanneries (1.500.000
population equivalent).
Once purified, wastewater is directed into pipes to the Consortium
A.RI.C.A., which collects and purifies further wastewater coming from
Acque del Chiampo and other treatment plant..
The Consortium A.RI.C.A has the authorisation to discharge then the
water into the river Fratta nearby Cologna Veneta (Verona).
Acque del Chiampo is able to reach very high percentage of pollutants
reduction, such as for example:
• 99% abatement for suspended solids
• 96.6% abatement for the filtrate COD
• 97.3% abatement for Total Nitrogen
• 99% abatement for Chromium III

11. Wastewater : how to increase its value - GreenLIFE / 1
GOALS
• 20% reduction in water consumption in the beamhouse stage
• 20% decrease in chemicals used in the beamhouse stage
• 20% reduction in solid waste
• 15% recovery and re-use of by-products with industrial value
• a new knowledge hub to share ideas and technologies
TITLE Green Leather Industry For the Environment (greenLIFE) - www.greenlifeproject.eu
TIMELINE 36 month (01/06/2014 – 31/05/2017)
BUDGET Budget: 2.260.000 € / European Union grant: 1.120.000 €
R&D LINES
• Development of new liming processes
• Development of a new tanning process
• Recovery and re-use of tannery and liming process by-products
• Water treatment system and new technology: potential impact assessment
• Environmental and social impact assessment

12. Wastewater : how to increase its value - GreenLIFE / 2
Tanneries
Chemicals
supplier
Fertilizers
producer
Wastewater
treatment
plant
Partnership structure
• A “supply chain” approach (beyond company gates), with strong
territorial roots
• Involvement of partners with different institutional functions
• Cooperation between competing companies

13. Wastewater : how to increase ita value - GreenLIFE / 3
Soaking
• Oxidative liming with hair
and water recovery
Water recovery / reuse
Hair recovery
Bath recovery
Production of
new fertilizers
1
2
Research line n° 1: development of new liming processes
Main results
Decrease of 16-20% of water consumption in the liming process (pre-industrial and industrial scale)
Production of fertilizers with good content in phosphorus and nitrogen Research line n° 1: development of new liming
processes (pre-industrial scale)
Reduction of the pollution load in terms of sulfides, sulphur, total nitrogen, suspended solids and COD

14. Water : future challenges
Incremental continuos improvement
Changes in critical parameters of the production
processes
Greater efficiency in the use of chemicals
R&D project
Replace water in some stages of the tanning
process
Expand recovery and reuse of process baths,
especially in beamhouse and tanning stage
Biotechnology or products coming from
renewable
Circular economy framework to save resources
and reduce pollution load
Bio-based resources (keratin, collagen and lipids
from the tanning process by-products) for the
production of high added value bio-materials
Organisation
Process Traceability
Life cycle perspective
Supply chain perspective and cooperation
Sludge treatment (inertisation and energy
production)
WATER SAVING
IMPROVING WASTEWATER
QUALITY

15. So
Thank you for your attention, for your patience …
and for the opportunity to share experiences and ideas