Reducing environmental emissions in tanneries.

Tanning, in particular chrome leather production, is still characterised by an inefficient use of raw material and the production of highly polluted wastewater and solid wastes. A part of the emissions can be prevented by introducing clean tanning technologies, the remaining emissions can be treated. Clean production technologies and waste (water) treatment technologies should have a designed complimentarity.

A comparison of the mutagenicity of soluble trivalent chromium compounds with that of potassium chromate.

The mutagenic potential of water soluble complexes of trivalent chromium with five different amino acids in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA92, TA94, TA98, and TA100 was studied. All complexes were nonmutagenic at concentrations up to 50 mumol/plate in the strains used. In contrast, trivalent chromium chloride was slightly mutagenic in TA98 and a considerable increase in numbers of revertants was observed in TA94.