Method for treating a substrate made of animal fibers with solid particles and a chemical formulation

The method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the animal substrate is hide, skin or leather.

The method according to any preceding claim wherein the sealed apparatus comprises a treatment chamber in the form of a rotatably mounted drum or a rotatably mounted cylindrical cage and wherein the method comprises agitating said animal substrate and said treatment formulation by rotating said treatment chamber.

The method of any preceding claim further comprising, before or after said agitating the moistened animal substrate with a treatment formulation and a solid particulate material, subjecting said animal substrate to at least one further treatment comprising contacting the animal substrate with at least one colourant.

The method according to any preceding claim wherein the ratio of solid particulate material to animal substrate is from 1000:1 to 1:1000 w/w.

The method according to any preceding claim wherein the substrate is moistened by wetting so as to achieve a water to animal substrate ratio of between 1000:1 and 1:1000 w/w.

The method according to any preceding claim wherein the ratio of the solid particulate material to the animal substrate to water is from about 1:1:0 to about 50:50:0 w/w.

The method according to any preceding claim wherein the solid particulate material has an average density of 0.5 to 20 g/cm3.

The method according to any preceding claim wherein the solid particulate material has an average mass of 1 mg to 5 kg.

The method according to any preceding claim wherein the solid particulate material has an average particle diameter of from 0.1 to 500 mm.

The method according to any preceding claim wherein the solid particulate material has a length of from 0.1 to 500 mm.

The method according to any preceding claim wherein the solid particulate material comprises a multiplicity of polymeric particles a multiplicity of non-polymeric particles or a mixture of a multiplicity of polymeric and non-polymeric particles.

The method according to any preceding claim wherein the treatment formulation comprises two or more portions and wherein each portion of the treatment formulation may be the same or different.

The method according to any preceding claim wherein the treatment formulation comprises at least a first portion for cleaning the animal substrate and at least a second portion comprising said at least one treatment agent selected from tanning agents, re-tanning agents and tannery process agents.

The method according to any preceding claim wherein the method includes a step of exposing the animal substrate to carbon dioxide.

The method of any preceding claim wherein the particles are re-used at least once in a subsequent treatment process according to the method.

The method of any preceding claim including the step of subjecting the particles to a cleaning procedure after the treatment of the animal substrate.

The method according to any preceding claim wherein the method consists of a treatment cycle comprising one or more phases or stages.

A method as claimed in any preceding claim comprising one or more subsequent processing steps selected from drying, coating, lacquering, polishing, cutting, shaping, forming, embossing, punching, gluing, sewing, stapling and packaging the treated animal substrate or one or more parts thereof.