Eco-friendly Enzymatic Dehairing of Cowhide Using Thermostable Alkaline Serine Protease 50a

The leather goods sector faces ecological issues caused by typical dehairing technique, which requires an environmentally friendly solution. The incorporation of synthetic compounds in the conventional dehairing practice could pose an important contribution to the water pollution. The study analyses enzymatic and conventional treatment, examines at the implications of different enzyme concentration and measures the effluent quality of wastewater. A range of dehairing treatment including conventional, enzyme assisted and single enzyme. The performance of dehairing treatments were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and tensile tests. The effluent from dehairing process was focused on pH and chemical oxygen demand (COD) level. The findings demonstrate that enzyme assisted methods, particularly with a 20% thermostable alkaline serine protease 50a (TAP50a) showed superior dehairing efficiency. SEM results from enzymatic method indicated improved grains surface quality of cowhides. The mechanical tests demonstrated that the cowhides dehaired using enzyme dehairing exhibited greater tear resistance compared to conventional methods. Water quality assessment indicates pH level under acceptable ranges and able to reduce COD level compared to conventional method. Thus, the developed enzymatic treatment using the TAP50a offers an alternative dehairing method to replace a conventional method by improved leather properties and decreased ecological implications.