Preparation and Characterization of Composite Sheets from Collagenous and Chromium-Collagen Complex Wastes Using Polyvinylpyrrolidone: Two Problems, One Solution

The disposal of huge quantities of leather wastes in open environment produces several toxic contaminants. An alternative to disposal of these wastes is to reuse them. In the present work, we have proposed a method to utilize collagen and chrome shaving wastes (CCS) to prepare composite sheets employing polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The formed CCS/PVP composite sheets were characterized for their thermal, mechanical and morphological properties. It has been found that the mechanical properties of the composite sheets increase as the concentration of PVP increases from 2.5 to 10 wt%. Scanning electron microscopic studies reveal that the incorporation of PVP in the composite sheets resulted in increased interfacial adhesion thereby leading to reduced debonding between fibers. Fourier-transform infrared analysis of the composite sheets revealed the presence of dominant peaks associated with both collagen as well as PVP. It has also been demonstrated that the thermal stability of the formed composite sheets increases significantly as the concentration of PVP increases. These results demonstrate the homogeneity of the developed composite sheets. The obtained results suggest that the PVP incorporated composite sheets were found to have improved characteristics and hence suitable for numerous applications in footwear, clothing and related industries.