Gsc Group, the revolution of the tanning process

Taking advantage of the tanning power of oil vegetation water from a green perspective. That’s the axiom underlying the revolutionary OMW project conceived and developed by GSC Group, a chemical company symbol of Italian excellence, established globally in the sector of auxiliary products for the tanning industry. The innovative technology covered by an international patent uses a waste product from the agricultural sector to obtain eco-sustainable and bio-based chemical substances for the production of metal-free leather perfectly in line with circular economy.

Italy is among the largest producers of olive oil in the world. In the last three years (2020-2022) the average production of olive oil in the Peninsula was approximately three hundred thousand tons per year. From the mechanical process of pressing the olives and the subsequent centrifugation of the resulting aqueous emulsion, olive oil and a waste by-product called OMW, acronym for Olive Mill Wastewater, are obtained, a complex and variable material rich in polyphenolic species and of tannins with a tanning action, as well as free of pathogens, heavy metals and viruses. OMW, however, is one of the most polluting agro-industrial waste waters due to its poor biodegradability, high level of acidity and antimicrobial and phytotoxic power (interesting characteristics, however, for the tanning industry). In Italy, four million tons are produced per year, with a huge environmental impact. So GSC Group asked itself an effective question, essential to undertake a new direction: “Is there the possibility of avoiding the disposal of this substance in purifiers, transforming a by-product of the agri-food industry into a ‘regenerated’ product at the service of the leather industry?”

Yes, the polyphenolic material can be used in the tanning process, bringing a significant technical and technological advantage to the leather. OMW enters GSC factories as a raw substance that requires a series of specifications before its use. The pressing wastewater, mainly coming from Tuscan and Apulian olive- growing companies, must be evaluated in terms of solids content, viscosity, acidity and tanning properties. After the initial check, the workflow involves a series of physical and chemical actions. The OMW are then mixed with specially designed polymers to provide the chemical substance of biological origin called SUSTAN FP, which can be used together with other eco-friendly products in tanning and re-tanning processes, with a positive impact on the carbon footprint of leather manufacturing. OMW tanning agents obtained from food industry waste and applied to leather, which is in turn a by-product of meat production, are eco-sustainable, free from the toxicity of glutaraldehyde, free from heavy metals such as hexavalent chromium as well as suitable for every type of leather application and segment, from automotive to footwear, from leather goods to furniture. Furthermore, they allow us to obtain leather with characteristics and performance comparable to those achieved by traditional tanning processes (chrome, wet-white, etc.). “In short, we can talk about OMW as an alternative without compromises in terms of quality, performance and appearance”, is the comment of the Vicenza-based company.

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The production cycle of the new made in Italy OMW technology was presented by GSC Group at the most important trade fairs in the sector through an enormous scale model