Traditional Tannery and Dyeing (Yirie) Methods
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Cited by 2 publications
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Tannery wastewater is one of the most toxic waste generated in industries. In spite of this, there still remains a paucity of information on characteristics of wastewater generated from artisanal tanneries. This study, therefore, assessed the water consumption, wastewater generation rates, physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of wastewater produced from each process unit of an artisanal tannery in Ghana. The study revealed that the total amount of water use in the tannery ranged between 1171 and 2120L/day whilst the total volume of wastewater generated was within 820 and 1324L/day. Physicochemical characteristics of the different wastewater types generated at the tannery including chemical oxygen demand (13600–24333.30 mg/L), biochemical oxygen demand (1445.64–2803 mg/L), ammonia (3.20–21.38 mg/L), colour (950.35–53900.10PtCo), electrical conductivity (8170 - 10080 μS/cm), turbidity (450.24–1805NTU), suspended (1033.50–3216.40 mg/L) and dissolved (26166.50–4996.65 mg/L) solids exceeded the guidelines set by the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency. There were also high levels of chlorides, sodium, sulphates and calcium ions. The most dominant anion and cation in the wastewater were chlorides (715–20490.60 mg/L) and sodium ions (258–14056.45 mg/L) respectively. Heavy metals identified in the wastewater included zinc, aluminium, iron and chromium ions with the most dominant one being aluminium ions (0.58–78.18 mg/L). Whilst the E-coli was below detectable limit, the count of total coliforms ranged between 0 and 4.5 × 10 4 CFU/100mL. Five helminth egg species ( Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworm , Trichuris trichiura , Strongyloides stercoralis, and Enterobius vermicularis ) were identified with their numbers surpassing the safe limit set by the World Health Organisation for irrigation purposes. These results indicated that the indiscriminate discharge of the untreated wastewater on the bare soil as it is practised at the tannery has the potential to adversely affect public and environmental health. Appropriate treatment schemes are therefore, required to treat the wastewater to safe limits prior to discharge.
Tannery wastewater is one of the most toxic waste generated in industries. In spite of this, there still remains a paucity of information on characteristics of wastewater generated from artisanal tanneries. This study, therefore, assessed the water consumption, wastewater generation rates, physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of wastewater produced from each process unit of an artisanal tannery in Ghana. The study revealed that the total amount of water use in the tannery ranged between 1171 and 2120L/day whilst the total volume of wastewater generated was within 820 and 1324L/day. Physicochemical characteristics of the different wastewater types generated at the tannery including chemical oxygen demand (13600–24333.30 mg/L), biochemical oxygen demand (1445.64–2803 mg/L), ammonia (3.20–21.38 mg/L), colour (950.35–53900.10PtCo), electrical conductivity (8170 - 10080 μS/cm), turbidity (450.24–1805NTU), suspended (1033.50–3216.40 mg/L) and dissolved (26166.50–4996.65 mg/L) solids exceeded the guidelines set by the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency. There were also high levels of chlorides, sodium, sulphates and calcium ions. The most dominant anion and cation in the wastewater were chlorides (715–20490.60 mg/L) and sodium ions (258–14056.45 mg/L) respectively. Heavy metals identified in the wastewater included zinc, aluminium, iron and chromium ions with the most dominant one being aluminium ions (0.58–78.18 mg/L). Whilst the E-coli was below detectable limit, the count of total coliforms ranged between 0 and 4.5 × 10 4 CFU/100mL. Five helminth egg species ( Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworm , Trichuris trichiura , Strongyloides stercoralis, and Enterobius vermicularis ) were identified with their numbers surpassing the safe limit set by the World Health Organisation for irrigation purposes. These results indicated that the indiscriminate discharge of the untreated wastewater on the bare soil as it is practised at the tannery has the potential to adversely affect public and environmental health. Appropriate treatment schemes are therefore, required to treat the wastewater to safe limits prior to discharge.
For centuries, across West Africa, plants have been used extensively not only in traditional medicine but also for dyeing cloth. Examples are the use of the bark of Terminalia laxiflora, the root of Cochlospermum tinctorium and the pods of Acacia nilotica, which together form the vegetable basis of a complex natural colorant produced by the hunters of the Marka-Dafing community in the Mouhoun region of north-western Burkina Faso. This colorant, known as vouwo and used by the hunters to dye a hunting and ceremonial shirt called a donso dileke (hunter shirt), is prepared by adding the plant elements to soil and iron ore in water. This mixture of ingredients then undergoes a long process of fermentation, whereby an essential role is played by certain bacteria present in the mud. This paper examines the use of extracts of the pods of A. nilotica to counteract certain counterproductive bacteria that under non-optimal conditions may proliferate in the dyeing jar, forming thick biofilms and inhibiting the dyeing process. Besides showing some previously studied antibacterial activity, extracts of A. nilotica pods have also been found to interfere efficiently with the biofilm formation of these bacteria. By suppressing the disruptive bacteria, A. nilotica seems to support the proliferation and desired activity of the bacteria that contribute to the coloring of the textile (mainly anaerobic producers of iron sulphide). While extensive research has been carried out on the phytochemistry of traditional medicinal plants, in this ongoing study, the authors investigate the role of A. nilotica in traditional fermentative cloth dyeing by looking into aspects of the microbiome that develops during the dyeing of the hunter shirt. The interdisciplinary approach of this study to the complex roles of natural dyes combines extensive anthropological field research with microbiological methods.
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