Alternative Fungicides for the Leather Industry: Application in Various Processes

Increasingly stringent environmental legislation and indispensable use of fungicides in the tanning industry obliges tanners to adapt their processes to alternative technologies with lower environmental impact, including the search for new fungicide systems that comply with those rules. The fungicidal capacities of alternative compounds diiodomethyl p-tolylsulfone (DIMPTS), 3-iodo-2-propynyl N-butylcarbamate (IPBC) and thiabendazole / 2-thiazol-4-yl-1H-benzo imidazole(TBZ) were compared to those of conventional fungicides, 2-(thiocyanomethylthio)-1,3-benzothiazole (TCMTB) and the mixture of phenolic compounds). This fungicidal capacity was evaluated against different strains of fungi in different processes. Fungicides were applied in the chrome tanning process, fatliquoring of hides tanned with vegetable extracts and a preservative pickling process. Further studies consisted of a microbiological control samples inoculated with fungi common in tannery, determination of the fungicide content on the skin, and a toxicity study of process wastewater. The results obtained in an earlier work and the higher antifungal capacity of DIMPTS and IPBC in the different processes, supported the possibility of using them in the leather sector. The skins produced using alternative fungicides showed no stains or other defects, and in relation to the environmental impact, toxicity from wastewater was lower in the case of the alternative products against those commonly used.