Gadgets
New technologies can help leather industry in its makeover

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]File photo of a leathery tannery in Jalandhar, Punjab. Photo credit: Bloomberg
By Dr T V Venkateswaran and Jyoti Singh
Central Leather Research Institute develops new Waterless Chrome Tanning Technology to ensure cleaner effluents and better leather quality
New Delhi: Leather industry is on the threshold of a new path. Long vilified as one of the most polluting, it may soon see an image makeover with adoption of new technologies and processes developed by the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) at Chennai.
In conventional tanning processes, only about 60 percent of the material used is absorbed by leather and the balance drains away as effluent causing serious damage to environment. With the new technologies and processes, scientists claim, effluent discharges would be reduced substantially.
Speaking to India Science Wire, CLRI Director Dr B. Chandrasekaran said new technologies and processes would help strike a balance between the need to promote tanning industry and at the same time protect the environment. The new system would be practically waterless in the sense that water needed for tanning would be derived from moisture within the hide itself instead of an external source. Further, the new process requires only about 20 per cent of acids and salts that was needed in the traditional process. Patented additives are mixed instead of lime and water in the conventional drum-tanning method.
Chrome is used extensively in the process of tanning and it had been one of the major causes of environmental concern for the industry. The new ‘Waterless Chrome Tanning Technology’ (WLCT) developed by CLRI requires much less quantity of water as well as chrome. “With much reduced chrome and total dissolved solid load the effluent are much cleaner than the conventional process and the quality of leather thus produced is also found to be better than leather produced using conventional system,” said Dr Chandrasekaran.
Leather industry, he noted, was a job creating sector. “About 3.5 million people are engaged in leather and leather products sector and in the next four to five years, we have an opportunity to enhance this by another 2.5 million. So, soon about 6 million people would be directly and indirectly involved in this industry.”
India contributes seven percent of total hide and skin production to the global market. “In terms of animal population availability, we are at number one in buffalo, number two in goat, number four in sheep. In overall cattle population, India is at the top position,” Dr Chandrasekaran pointed out. India is the second largest footwear and leather garments producer in the world.
A by-product of the meat industry, leather has been in use from ancient times mainly for producing apparels. Today, its use has been diversified into footwear, accessories, handbags, belts and saddle also.
When an animal dies naturally or is slaughtered, its skin is removed and preserved using common salt. It is then sent to tanneries, where the salt is washed off and the hair removed with the help of sodium sulphate and lime. The skins and hides are then subjected to treatment with a wide variety of chemicals. Various pollutants such as chlorides, sulphates and other mineral salts end up in the effluent. “Animal hide is susceptible to decay like any natural organic material. Humans discovered a way to preserve the leather. We may use various chemicals or biological products like fish oil to remove the water from the skin but preserve its texture and integrity,” explained Dr Chandrasekaran who is one of the pioneers in the field of leather research in India.
The conventional process use profuse quantities of water either from fresh surface water source like river or lake or ground water. It requires about fifty litres of water per kilo of skin or hide. As a result, most tanneries were set up on the banks of fresh water that not only led to pollution but also left lesser quantity of water for agriculture and domestic use.
Dr Chandrasekaran obtained his B Tech and M tech from AC College of technology and later PhD in leather technology from Anna University. He specializes in cleaner production technologies, leather education leather product design and development, CAD techniques for leather product design, organizational development consultancy in R &D and organizational excellence.
CLRI is one of the largest training centres for leather-related technologies in the world with total student and training strength of over 300 per year. Dr Chandrasekaran has designed a mechanism for taking additional 250 project interns from various academic institutions in the country. Dr Chandrasekaran has 15 patents to his credit and has been awarded with many national and international awards.
(This article has not been edited by the APNLive staff. It is from an auto-generated syndicated feed provided by the India Science News)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Gadgets
OnePlus to launch Nord CE 3 in India, specs and price leaked ahead of global debut
OnePlus may soon expand its affordable smartphone series Nord CE. It is being claimed that the company is going to launch the new OnePlus Nord CE 3 in July this year. As per the leaks, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 will be introduced as a successor to the OnePlus Nord CE 2.

OnePlus may soon expand its affordable smartphone series Nord CE. It is being claimed that the company is going to launch the new OnePlus Nord CE 3 in July this year. As per the leaks, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 will be introduced as a successor to the OnePlus Nord CE 2. The information about the phone has also been revealed ahead of its official debut on many digital platforms. However, the company has not yet given any information regarding the same as yet.
According to a report by My Smart Price, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 is expected to launch in July alongside of OnePlus Nord 3. The tipster also has claimed about the specification of the phone as well. Scroll down to know more about the smartphone.
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According to tipster Steve Hemmerstoffer (@OnLeaks), the OnePlus CE 3 will come with a display with 120Hz refresh rate, under which the user will be able to have a high definition display quality while playing videos. The handset is also likely to feature a 6.72 inch Full HD Plus AMOLED display. Earlier it was being said that this phone will be introduced with an IPS LCD screen. However, the confirmation is still awaited.
Leaks also suggested that the OnePlus Nord CE 3 is expected to be powered by the octa-core Snapdragon 782G processor coupled with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of inbuilt storage. The upcoming OnePlus Nord CE 3 could be equipped with three rear cameras. The phone can get a 50-megapixel Sony IMX890 primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2-megapixel macro lens. The phone is expected to get a 16-megapixel sensor for selfie and video calls.
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The Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo has launched its awaited color-changing back panel smartphone V27 Pro in India, along with the lower variant V27. Interested customers can purchase the handset in magic blue and noble black color. Pre-booking of Vivo V27 Pro has started and sales will be from March 6. The sale of Vivo V27 will start from 23 March.
As per the official details, the handset is the upgraded version of the Vivo V25 series, which was launched last year. The company has introduced the Vivo V27 Series with Android 13-based Funtouch OS 13 and MediaTek processor, under which customers will be able to access heavy applications without and lag.
Know everything about the Vivo’s Vivo V27 and V27 Pro
As per the photos shared by the company, Vivo V27 Pro and Vivo V27 come with a 3D curved screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz that offers users to have a high-definition screen experience while playing any video. It comes with a glass panel that changes color whenever some light or sun rays strike it. Both Vivo V27 Pro and Vivo V27 phones have three rear cameras, and features. The Vivo V27 Pro has a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 processor, while Vivo V27 has Dimensity 7200 5G processor. Both the chipset have been considered the advance chipset in the Indian market.
Price of Vivo’s V27 and V27 Pro
The price of 128 GB storage with 8 GB RAM of Vivo V27 Pro is Rs 37,999. At the same time, the price of 256 GB storage with 8 GB RAM has been kept at Rs 39,999. The 256 GB storage variant with the phone’s 12 GB RAM is priced at Rs 42,999. The price of 128 GB storage with 8 GB RAM of Vivo V27 has been priced at Rs 32,999 and 256 GB storage with 12 GB RAM has been priced at Rs 36,999.
Gadgets
Samsung set to launch Galaxy S23 FE, design and specs leaked ahead of official launch

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Ahead of the official launch, many information such as specs, design leaked on digital platforms, claiming the handset might come with the latest processor with a 120 Hz AMOLE display that will allow users to have a high-definition experience while playing videos or using the phone. As per the leaks, the phone could be equipped with a flagship chipset launched by Qualcomm last year. However, the South Korean tech giant hasn’t revealed anything regarding the same as of now. Not even the price and launch date.
Once launched, interested customers can purchase the smartphone from the company’s authorized store. If one wants it at an additional discount, they can purchase the phone from the e-commerce giant Amazon or Flipkart.
Know everything about Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
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