Unhairing of bovine hide using wastewater from Merox unit of oil refinery: techno-environmental aspect

The effluent generated by Merox unit of oil refinery was used instead of freshwater for bovine hide unhairing because of its proper composition and alkalinity. The effect of temperature, treatment period, sodium sulfide (Na2S), and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) dosage was investigated on unhairing efficiency using lutrom (unhairing slurry) prepared from the Merox effluent (effluent-based lutrom). Under similar operating conditions and chemicals' dosage, the effluent-based lutrom resulted in a higher efficiency (98.6%) than water-based lutrom (67.3%) indicating faster unhairing kinetics for the former lutrom. Moreover, an acceptable swelling (48%) and suitable mechanical properties were also observed. The experimental strategy can save 50 to 67% toxic chemicals and 100% of water consumption in unhairing, which is equivalent to US$ 34 per ton of hide, leading to zero discharge from Merox unit. Recycling of effluent-based lutrom after 3 consecutive runs was associated with a significant reduction in COD (55.6 kg/t hide) and BOD5 (11.6 kg/t hide) load. The effluent-based and conventional lutroms, before and after unhairing, were treated with ozone under moderate conditions. The FTIR results indicated a high-quality and low costly pelt benefits from the integration of wastewater treatment units of both industries in an environment-friendly manner.