生命周期评价法评估皮革复鞣剂染整过程的环境影响

Assessing the Environmental Impact of the Post-tanning Process of Leather Retanning Agents by Life Cycle Assessment

采用生命周期评价法对芳香族合成鞣剂BTL、三聚氰胺树脂鞣剂DD42、丙烯酸树脂鞣剂LP和荆树皮栲胶SUN的染整过程进行了环境影响评价。结果表明,复鞣剂和复鞣操作是制革染整过程环境影响的重要贡献者,且这四种复鞣剂染整过程的环境影响总体呈现BTL>DD42>LP>SUN。用SUN进行染整时非生物资源消耗、初级能源消耗和气候变暖潜力相较于LP染整过程分别减少了61%、39%和46%,相较于BTL染整过程分别减少了73%、55%和59%,这是因为SUN的生产过程仅涉及少量的矿产和石化资源消耗及温室气体排放。由于BTL和DD42是用甲醛作为原料合成得到的,因此用这两种复鞣剂进行染整加工对生态质量和人体健康的影响明显高于使用LP和SUN的染整过程。综上所述,采用无甲醛的生物基材料——栲胶进行复鞣是更绿色的皮革染整工艺体系。

Life cycle assessment was applied to evaluate the environmental impact of the post-tanning process of four retanning agents including aromatic syntan BTL, melamine resin DD42, acrylic resin LP and mimosa extract SUN. Results indicate that the retanning agent and the corresponding retanning operation are the important contributors to the environmental impact of post-tanning process, and the environmental impact sequence of the four tested retanning agents is BTL >DD42 >LP >SUN. The abiotic depletion potential, primary energy demand, and climate warming potential of the SUN post-tanning process were reduced by 61%, 39%, and 46%, respectively, compared with that of LP post-tanning process, and were decreased by 73%, 55%, and 59%, respectively, compared with that of BTL post-tanning process. This is because only a few mineral and petrochemical resources were consumed and a little greenhouse gas was discharged in the SUN production process. Compared with the LP and SUN post-tanning processes, BTL and DD42 post-tanning processes exhibited remarkably higher environmental impact on the ecological quality and human health, because formaldehyde was used in the production processes of both BTL and DD42. Thus, formaldehyde-free biomass-based materials, i.e. vegetable extracts, are green retanning agents for leather post-tanning systems.