Abstract
THE STUDY is an attempt to provide an economic prefix substance for leather manufacture. An economic and straightforward method has been applied to recover neatsfoot oil from abundant low-cost byproduct (local massacres byproducts). Leather lubricant agent with extra lubricating power has been formulated from the recovered crude oil without chemical modification or further chemical treatment, using a commercial anionic surfactant. It was found that the highest emulsion stability of the formulated lubricants against pH variation and sundry factors involved in leather tanning has been verified at 30 - 40% oil concentration with 2 - 4% anionic surfactants as an emulsifier, at 500 rpm stirring speed. Different emulsion concentrations (2-10%) of the formulated lubricant has been tested as lubricant agent for wet blue leather. The emulsions concentration of 8% and 10% formulated lubricant were able to add the required quantity fatty matter to the lubricated leather fiber (9.12 % and 9.89 % respectively, based on the weight of lubricated leather). These ratios are close to that was added by the commercial lubricant at the same concentration. The lubrication process enhances high-performance power and good lubricant effect. The highest values of tensile strength and elongation at break of lubricated leather have been reached at 10 % emulsion concentration, nearly similar to the effect developed by the commercial lubricant. The microscopic examination of the lubricated leather shows that the leather fiber is genuinely coated with a thin film of fat and the perspective of the lubricated leather surface was superior. In addition, the lubricated leather was ostensibly amended.