Horse Paws as Raw Material for Fur Industry

Horse skin is used for processing various types of skin. However, paws of horse skin are not used as fur raw material. Usually they are burned or sent to landfills and may cause infectious diseases. It is possible to minimize negative impact on the environment by converting this waste into fur raw material. In cold regions of Russia high fur boots made of cattle and deer paws are very popular. The aim of the research is to study the possibility of using paws of horse skin as raw material for fur industry. Processing of horse paws based on well-known leather and fur processing technologies lead to semi-finished product characterized by increased stiffness and uneven properties on different skin parts. Such semi-finished product was not suitable for high fur boots manufacture. The aim of the research is to work out a new technology and study chemical and physico-mechanical properties. In the work various treatment options for horse paws and their properties are investigated: moisture content, amount of minerals and chromium oxide, pH of the aqueous extract, tensile strength, elongation at a voltage of 10 MPa, and stiffness are determined. The possibility of transferring horse paws from municipal solid waste into fur raw material is shown.