Process Optimization

“Less process, more environment!”

If not wisely controlled and managed in a systematic way of production process, the nature of leather production has an immense impact for damaging and/or polluting the environment even before and during the production process. The bad smell of raw hides and skins and the wastes (i.e. the solid, liquid and gaseous) generated during the production process have a higher influence upon the environment. In considering the consequences and challenges of these waste materials for the environment, our Company has been applied a systematic and state-of-the-art production processes in order to minimize such risks by building up innovative ways to Waste Materials Management System.

With the ongoing improvements over the years, BAHIR DAR Tannery contributes its environment friendly projects under a constant surveillance.

Production Machineries and Chemical Usage

Our Company uses environmental friendly chemicals and up-to-date machines which reduces the risk of pollution. In the way of minimizing the impact upon the environment, such a responsible utilization of chemicals and the usage of up-to-date machineries contributed a lot for the Company for the best environmentally sound processes and standards of the production process. Generally, the intelligent recycling system together with modern dosing scientific technologies implies how much we have been dedicated to safeguard our lung – the environment.

Waste Materials Management System

Considering the impacts of wastes for the pollution of the environment, we have been identified and applied the best alternative way of ensuring environment friendly Waste Material Management System, which is developed by the owner of the company, Ato Yigzaw Assefa, that enables us not only to minimize the risk but also reused for the agricultural project of the factory as an organic fertilizer (compost) purpose.

Different types of strategies have been applied for each waste (the solid, liquid, and gaseous) according to the nature and the ways of reducing their impact. Therefore, the strategies for each waste material could be stated specifically as follows:

A. Liquid Waste
In order to minimize the risks of liquid wastes for the environment, our Company applies a system which enables to identify and differentiate between the levels of polluting the environment. In this sense, we can identify which type of a liquid waste could endanger the environment. After such an identification of the liquid waste, a system which could minimize its impact applied. Therefore, the liquid wastes are discharged directly to the effluent plant and subjected to a series of pre-treatment operations (the tests caused due to the discharge of large quantity organic matters into the water coarse since it will cause deleterious effect on aquatic fauna and flora through providing rich substances for bacteria, which multiply rapidly, and hence depleting the amount of dissolved oxygen available in water), including filtering lime and chrome, catalytic sulphide oxidation and general balancing. Primary treatment then separates our particulate matter and clarifies the effluent prior to discharge to the sewer.

In the process of this innovative system of liquid waste management series, there has been a liquid waste recycling technology, in which the liquid wastes of the company could be applied as an alternative way of water supply for the irrigation project of the Company’s agriculture.

The Research and Development Department is working vigorously to make every possible ways of separating different kinds of liquid for different use and ultimately freeing the water form chemicals.

B. The Solid Wastes

Our intention for the wastes (whether solid, liquid or gaseous) is not targeted to discharged or dispose off. Rather through applying innovative systems for wastes, we have been adopting best mechanisms which enable us for a further ultimate usage in any way. Considering such innovative scientific practices, we are using appropriate solid wastes of the production processes as an organic fertilizer (compost) for the agricultural projects of the company. The solid wastes which did not have any contribution as a fertilizer agent could be discarded in collaboration with the Municipality of the Bahir Dar Town.

Furthermore, we give all the by-products which have an economic value on it to the local communities; thus, they are able to make small-scale leather and related products out of it. We are also invites for manufacturers of carpet and mat to receive the shaved hair from skins for their production as an input.

C. The Gaseous Waste

The gaseous wastes in Our company is to mean that bad smells, which comes from the nature of hides and skins together with the industrial smokes different chemicals applied during the production process. Therefore, in order to minimize such gaseous pollution, our company have been adopting scientific production tools. In order to minimize the bad smell of hides and skins, our Company establishes a cooler underground storage, so as to minimize the pershiability and bad smell of it. There are well equipped and up-to-date machineries which have no relation with polluting the environment by the industrial smokes. In regard to the dust occurred inside the Finishing Section of the tanning process, we deployed modern dust sucker machine where there is huge concentration of dusts takes place so as to make the Section clean and neat to work on.