Cologne – From February 1 to 3, 2020, specialty chemicals company LANXESS will be showcasing its comprehensive product range in the field of leather chemicals at the India International Leather Fair (IILF) in Chennai, India. The extensive portfolio for manufacturing leather for shoes, clothing, furniture, and the automotive industry comprises mineral and synthetic tanning agents, preservatives, retanning agents, and fatliquoring agents. The range also includes dyes and numerous finishing products.

In addition to leather goods such as shoes, bags, and items of clothing displayed to demonstrate the versatility of leather in terms of its application and processing, LANXESS will present a number of innovative products and system solutions for the various stages of leather production.

New for beamhouse operations

LANXESS technology increases the efficiency of beamhouse operations processes and makes it possible to reduce basic chemicals and the pollution of the wastewater. “Thanks to our process based on Peltec C and Blancorol HP which has been specially developed for India we can significantly reduce the amount of total dissolved solids and achieve high-quality leather at the same time,” says Dr. Thomas Brackemeyer, who is responsible for the global organic leather chemicals business in the LANXESS Leather business unit.

Peltec X-Zyme SN, a newly developed soaking enzyme, can improve the COD (chemical oxygen demand) value considerably. Because this product does not exhibit any proteolytic activity, it does not affect the collagen itself and is thus also safe to use in a longer soaking process. Peltec UEP is a special liming enzyme that supports unhairing by loosening the hair roots and cleans the grain. As a result, less sulfide can be used in the liming process.

Retanning at the highest level

A new brochure that also contains information about recent developments including Tanigan UW, Tanigan 3LF liquid, and Tanigan FT has been created to provide information about the latest “made in Germany” syntans. Leather goods that are manufactured using these LANXESS syntans are typically characterized by excellent heat resistance, high light fastness, and good fullness. These products possess a high tanning effect combined with low monomer and salt levels. As a result, they exhibit very low TDS (total dissolved solids) potential.

A patent application has been submitted for Tangian HS, which is a light and heat-resistant, synthetic replacement tanning agent for the tanning and retanning of very full, soft, and almost white leather with a smooth grain. Due to its high tanning effect, this product is ideal for chromium-free and organic tanning systems such as the
X-Tan process technology.

The new synthetic product Tanigan PM disperses and accelerates the penetration of retanning agents, vegetable tannins and dyes, leading to improved filling and tightness as well as leather with a more uniform color.

Levotan AM is a new amphoteric retanning agent that reduces dye consumption and increases the fixation of other additives, thereby reducing chemical oxygen demand by approximately 40 to 50 percent. This product can replace a conventional retanning acrylate and is ideal for all leather articles including demanding items such as leather for the automotive industry and waterproof applications.

Levotan WS is a new, innovative, full polymer-based waterproofing agent. This microemulsion ensures high-performance waterproofing. It can be used together with the Levotan WRP and Levotan XB polymers.

With the Baygenal AC range, LANXESS is offering a new and compact selection of dyes that perfectly complements the existing LANXESS core color palette. This enables the maximum number of colors with the least amount of products.

Finishing as a system

LANXESS offers water based Aquaderm X-Pigments and dyes from the Levaderm range for leather finishing. All types of waxes and oils from the brand Euderm are ideal to manufacture fashionable shoes and leather goods such as bags.

Among the specialties for manufacturing leather for the automotive industry is Aquaderm XL 1010, one of the latest innovations from LANXESS in the field of polyisocyanate crosslinkers. In addition to its exceptionally good physical properties, this product enables further reductions in volatile organic compounds (VOC) and odor, which is especially important in automotive applications. Aquaderm XL 1010 itself is virtually VOC-free and odorless.

Primal Fleshcoat AR-2 Emulsion allows further reductions in emissions, thereby bringing volatile compounds down to a minimum. This makes it possible to significantly reduce any unwanted formaldehyde and acetaldehyde emissions escape from the leather.

Very low-solvent finishing systems call for highly effective active ingredients to ensure the best possible flow of chemicals on the leather. Aquaderm Fluid E is a new addition to the LANXESS range of flow control agents. It has a high leveling effect and gives the leather exceptional physical character. Aquaderm Additive XF is a highly concentrated, BTEX-free, high-performance silicone emulsion that meets the toughest standards for the mechanical properties of leather such as abrasion resistance.