Probable Ways of Tannery’s Solid and Liquid Waste Management in Bangladesh ‒ An Overview

Abstract

The leather industry has been marked as a top-priority sector due to its potential growth and economical contribution in Bangladesh. However, these industries are unable to meet the compliance issue due to the environmental pollution. Leather processing is a complex process based on chemicals and mechanical methods. A substantial amount of solid and liquid wastes is generally produced during the production of leather. As most of the tanneries do not have a central effluent treatment plant and advanced management technologies, they produce 20000 m3 of liquid waste and 232 tonnes of solid waste per day in Bangladesh, which poses a significant risk to the environment and human health unless it gets well treated. In this modern era, it is indispensable to implement new technologies to treat liquid waste properly as well as innovative disposal techniques for solid waste to reduce pollution and health hazards. This study, by using a non-systematic approach based on literature reviews, is designed to summarize the kinds of solid and liquid waste management techniques around the world which should be implemented in the tanneries of Bangladesh to mitigate environmental pollution. We hope that this study can be a great resource and provide a pathway for leather industries in Bangladesh to get familiar with effective treatment technologies of solid and liquid wastes.

Industrial Water Demand and Wastewater Generation: Challenges for Bangladesh’s Water Industry

“…Previously, all tannery-generated wastewater in Hazaribagh, Dhaka (Figure S9), was directly released into the Buriganga River. , This included the direct discharge of highly concentrated spent chrome liquor without using any methods to salvage or reuse it. , Because of the violation of discharge standards in most facilities, the surface waters in Hazaribagh have been severely polluted. The COD values in several waterbodies were found to be in the range of 600–1119 mg L –1 with a TDS of 70–420 mg L –1 , a Cl – concentration range of 54.4–6840 mg L –1 , and a SO 4 2– concentration range of 640–1163 mg L –1 (Figure ).…”

Whole-genome sequencing and comparative analysis of heavy metals tolerant <i>Bacillus anthracis</i> FHq strain isolated from tannery effluents in Bangladesh

“…The adverse effects of heavy metals used in the industries have been known for a long time. In addition, the typical tannery wastewaters contain Pb, Cu, Fe, Na, Cr, Cd, Zn, and Ni-like heavy metals [3] , [4] . Heavy metals are mixed with the nearby areas' soil and water through the tannery discharges, causing health hazards to humans, animals, plants, and aquatic lives.…”

“…Municipal waste, industrial effluents, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers cause heavy metals and metalloid pollution in the soil of industrial zones and rivers around Dhaka and Chattogram districts of Bangladesh. Therefore, a higher amount of lead, cadmium, chromium, and arsenic (As) were detected in these industrial zones and the tannery effluent in Bangladesh [3] , [4] .…”

Mitigating Tannery Pollution in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia

“…The area around Hazaribagh was the traditional home to 95% of the 150 formally registered tanneries, from where an estimated US$663 million in leather goods were exported in 2012 (Human Rights Watch, 2012). Saha and Azam (2021, p. 77) suggest that there are 220 tanneries in the country, but only 113 “are effectively in function.” Of these, 20 are large, 45 are medium, and 53 are small. In terms of source material, 56% comes from cows, 30% from goats, and the rest from buffalo.…”