Industrial Chemicals
DeMythe®
LDD Technology
AkzoNobel DeMythe® LDD2
With more than three billion raw hides and skins processed annually,
the leather and protein industry is an important part of the world economy.
One of the key phases in the leather and protein production process is
removing fat efficiently from the animal skin.
Sustainable degreasing and
dehydration technology
Traditional degreasing agents are harmful to health and the environment,
but now AkzoNobel - together with our Spanish partner GRIT - have
developed a degreasing and dehydration technology, based on the
solvent Dimethyl Ether (DME). The result is a sustainable technology
called DeMythe® LDD that delivers top-of-the-range degreasing and
dehydration power in a closed loop process.
DeMythe® LDD uses DME as an extraction solvent because of its
outstanding properties as a water and fat solvent. Moreover, DME can
be used as extraction solvent in the production of foodstuffs and food
ingredients under EU Directive 2009/32/EC.
Here´s a breakdown of the DME properties:
Molecular formula:
CH3OCH3
Aspect:
Clear liquid (under pressure)
Boiling point:
- 25 ºC
Vapor pressure at 20 ºC:
4.1 bar(g)
MAC value:
1000 ppm
Toxicity aspects:
Non toxic
Flammable:Yes
Datasheets and MSDS are available on request
It´s precisely these unique capabilities that gave us and our partner GRIT
the scope to be able to develop a technology that will remove water and
fat from animal skins and hides in a closed loop process and operating at
relatively low temperatures. After the process cycle has been completed,
the DME is separated from the water and fat, and then recycled. The
recovery rate is >99%. In other words, low waste, high degreasing and
drying performance, low energy comsumption, high product quality and
high cost efficiency. Hence, it contributes to a better environment.
Major process steps
1 Loading
Introduction of skins into the
digester
2
Impregnation
Introduction of DME into
the digester
3
Extraction
DME diffuses into the skin
and solves the fat and water
&
4 Recovery
Recycling
DME is recovered and
re-introduced into the digester
AkzoNobel DeMythe® LDD3
Major process steps
2
1
3
1Digester
2Inlet
3Outlet
4Reboiler
7
4
DME in use
A widely used aerosol propellant, DME offers unique advantages such
as solvency power and water miscibility. Based on the flexibility in use
offered by these advantages, DME is an appreciated propellant in many
aerosol products like hairsprays and other cosmetic aerosol products,
paint sprays and various technical aerosol products.
Flexible process parameters
• Temperature (if desired)
• Contact time
• Mechanical energy (rotating drum)
• Quantity of extraction agent
• Number of skins / Load
• Size of skin (whole skin to small pieces)
• Number of cycles / repeated treatment
5
6
5 Flash drum
6Collector
7 Recovery vessel
GRIT – an innovator
Our Spanish partner GRIT (which stands for Gas, Research, Innovation, Technology) distributes, stores and develops industrial application
gases. The company specializes in research, innovation and technology
and produces aerosols, plastic foams and refrigeration fluids for the
chemicals industry. Services include R&D+I, technical solutions, refilling
and distribution.
For more information, please contact:
AkzoNobel Industrial Chemicals
P.O. Box 247
3800 AE Amersfoort
The Netherlands
+31 33 467 6090
Industrial Chemicals produces and markets salt and
energy, chlor-alkali products and derivatives like monochloroacetic acid (MCA) and metal salts. It is Europe’s
largest producer of vacuum salt and a leading supplier
of chlorine, caustic lye, hydrochloric acid and MCA used
in the chemical, detergent, construction, food, pulp and
paper and plastic industries. Its products are essential in
daily life and used in the manufacture of among others
vehicles, glass, performance plastics, pharmaceuticals
and textiles, and in disinfectants for swimming pools.
Employing approximately 1,700 people, Industrial
Chemicals has production sites in Rotterdam, Hengelo
and Delfzijl in the Netherlands, Ibbenbüren, Frankfurt
and Bitterfeld in Germany, Mariager in Denmark, LeMoyne in the USA, and Taixing in China. The business unit
is headquartered in Amersfoort, the Netherlands.
Tomorrows Answers Today
AkzoNobel is the largest global paints and coatings
company and a major producer of specialty chemicals. We supply industries and consumers worldwide
with innovative products and are passionate about
developing sustainable answers for our customers.
Our portfolio includes well known brands such as
Dulux, Sikkens, International and Eka. Headquartered
in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, we are a Global
Fortune 500 company and are consistently ranked as
one of the leaders in the area of sustainability. With
operations in more than 80 countries, our 55,000
people around the world are committed to excellence
and delivering Tomorrow’s Answers Today™.
!"
#$$
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www.akzonobel.com/ic
Industrial Chemicals
Delivering added value to the
leather industry
Sustainability is a top priority for us and our partner GRIT. For that reason we are proud to
present a revolutionary technology for the leather industry.
DeMythe® LDD Technology is not only very
cost effective, but it also delivers the best
results for degreasing skins even with high fat
content. The result is a high quality leather
from any kind of skin, regardless of its fat type,
content and distribution. As the process is
performed at low temperatures, favorable collagen
properties and high quality of fat are obtained.
The treated skins are kept in a low dielectric
constant medium, which result in high
accessibility of the skin structure. This improves
the uptake of tanning agents and provides an
optimum ability for retanning and dyeing.
DeMythe® LDD Technology benefits:
• Excellent degreasing capability
• High drying capability
• Improved tanning and dyeing ability
• Contributes to preservation due to drying
• Closed loop process
• Reduction of process water and
chemicals usage
• Less waste water generation
• Low energy consumption
• Cost savings
• Improved working conditions for
production personnel
In terms of degreasing capability DeMythe®
LDD Technology is outperforming most of
the existing degreasing techniques - delivering
a high, cost effective performance with low
waste.
AkzoNobel DeMythe® LDD – Leather
DeMythe® LDD Technology:
Delivering added value to the leather industry
Degreasing capacity in % (measured on pig and sheep skins)
%
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Ethoxylated
alcohol
Petroleum +
ethox
nonylphenol
Petroleum +
ethox alcohol
Perchloroethylene or
Trichloroethylene
Dimethylether
Pilot plant test results: H2O and grease analyses
Skin Type
H2O cont wt%
Fat cont wt%
Drying %
Degreasing %
Test 1
Fresh sheep- and goatskin
55-65
8-12
>75
>95
Test 2
Pickled, wet sheep- and goatskin
55-65
5-10
>75
>95
Test 3
Pickled, wet cow skins
55-65
3-5
>75
>95
Test 4
Raw pigskin butt bands, unsalted
38-42
0,4-0,8
>58
>95
DeMythe® LDD Technology delivers costs
savings because of the reduction of water and
chemical usage and consequently the generation
of waste water. In the beam house, chemical
auxiliary costs are reduced dramatically, while
considerable savings on chemicals required for
subsequent production steps are made, such
as tanning. Degreasing can also be automated,
resulting in higher production rates. Another
advantage, is that pickle storage - which is
often required to facilitate the degreasing of
high fat skins - can be avoided. The resulting
high quality fat obtained can be used for a
range of applications. The DeMythe® LDD
Technology preserves the skins, allowing long
term storage without any skin degradation.
Storage time versus microbiological activity (cfu per weight).
Influence of storage time on aerobic microbial count of treatment sheep skin (related to skin weight)
Log Cell
count (cfu/g
sheep skin)
12
Samples stored at 30°C in sealed containers
Samples stored at 30°C and 80% rel. humidity
10
8
6
4
2
Salted skin
DME treated skin
0
0
1
8
12
week
Collagen fibers examined SEM (Scanning
Electronic Microscopy) after degreasing
treatment with DME and PER revealed the
comparative effectiveness of the fat removal
and the effect on the space between the fibers
(see picture).
The first photograph shows fibers treated with
PER. The second photograph shows fibers
treated with DME. The areas in white are NaCl.
The light grey area is the collagen, while the
dark grey areas are illustrating the internal
empty spaces (resin penetrated into the skin
during preparation for SEM).
These photographs clearly illustrate
DME provides more internal empty spaces
between fibers.
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With more than three billion raw
hides and skins processed
annually, the leather industry is
an important part of the world
economy. We are happy to
contribute to this industry with
our innovative and sustainable
DeMythe® LDD Technology.
Industrial Chemicals
Delivering added value to the
protein industry
Sustainability is a top priority for us and our partner GRIT. For that reason we are proud to
present a revolutionary technology for the protein industry.
The only way to produce protein derivatives
from natural hides and skins without affecting
collagen properties is to perform efficient
degreasing at low temperatures. DeMythe®
LDD Technology makes this possible. It
provides flexibility in the raw material sourcing,
regardless of fat content and its saturated or
unsaturated chemical structure; therefore, it
can help to deliver cost efficiencies.
DeMythe® LDD Technology benefits:
• Closed loop process
• Mild process generates high quality of
protein and fat
• Excellent degreasing capability
• High drying capability
• Contributes to preservation due to drying
• Reduction of process water and
chemicals usage
• Less waste water generation
• Improved production efficiency
• Low energy consumption
DeMythe® LDD Technology is the only existing
technology able to completely remove fat
present in natural hides and skins without
affecting the physicochemical properties of
the proteins. This is due to the low processing
temperature and the ability to control the final
product parameters, namely the residual fat
and the remaining humidity. The mild process
allows complete flexibility in the further process
steps required to obtain the final product form.
The fat extracted is of food grade quality, as it
has not been exposed to thermal stress. The
result is extremely low peroxide indexes.
DeMythe® LDD Technology:
Delivering added value to the protein industry
Pilot plant test results: H2O and grease analyses
Skin Type
H2O cont wt%
Fat cont wt%
Drying %
Degreasing %
Test 1
Pickled, wet cow skins
55-65
3-5
>75
>95
Test 2
Raw pigskin butt bands, unsalted
38-42
0.4 - 0.8
>58
>95
Defatting efficiency DME technique test data (pigskins)
Moist
Dry Subst.
Protein
on total
on total
on total
Fat
on total
on dry
Test 3
(kg)
(%)
(kg)
(%)
(kg)
(%)
(kg)
(%)
(kg)
(%)
input material
270
62%
167
38%
103
32.0%
86.4
6.0%
16.2
15.8%
output material
109
20%
22
80%
87
79.5%
86.4
0.5%
0.5
0.6%
87%
146
96.6%
15.7
Removed material
Amount
Moist
Dry Subst.
Protein
on total
on total
on total
Fat
on total
on dry
Test 4
(kg)
(%)
(kg)
(%)
(kg)
(%)
(kg)
(%)
(kg)
(%)
input material
14.8
34.4%
5.1
65.6%
9.7
37.5%
5.6
28.1%
4.2
42.8%
output material
7.1
21.1%
1.5
78.9%
5.6
78.0%
5.6
0.9%
0.1
1.1%
71%
3.6
98.5%
4.1
Removed material
Test 3
High moisture (62%),
low fat (6%)
79% Protein
20% Water
<1% Fat
Test 4
Low moisture (35%),
high fat (28%)
78% Protein
21% Water
<1% Fat
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