A comprehensive method of soaking sheepskins with sulfurization

Soaking is the first and one of the most important preparatory operations in fur dressing. Soaking determines the successful completion of subsequent technological processes. The purpose of soaking is to bring the skin into a state close to paired state in terms of the amount and uniformity of moisture distribution in the leather tissue and hair. This makes it important to find the optimal soaking recipe. The classic soaking method leads to damage to the structure of the dermis, due to which the structure of the soaked dermis differs from the structure of the dermis in the paired state. To solve this problem, it is necessary to find an innovative soaking method that both meets soaking standards and preserves the structure of the dermis close to the paired state. This article discusses a comprehensive method for soaking sheepskins with sulfurization. An experiment was conducted with 4 batches preserved using different preservation methods. These batches were soaked using our suggested recipe, using sodium sulfate and sulfuric acid. As a result of the interaction of sodium sulfate with sulfuric acid, sulfur is formed, which interacts with the functional groups of collagen. This interaction is one of the ways to sulfurize the semi-finished product. In addition, the resulting sulfur affects not only the soaking process, but also subsequent processes, causing synergy in the technological process chain. Analysis of the process results allows us to conclude that this soaking method complies with established standards. Since the watering of the raw material in each of the preservation methods is above 65%, as well as the indicators of the structure of the dermis, soaked with sulfur, are close to the indicators of the structure of the dermis in the paired state.