The Rhodia alternative to chrome

The 16th International Conference on Phosphorus Chemistry, July 4-9, is being held at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham, UK (www.icpc2004.com). One of the participants, Rhodia, poses the question: How friendly are your interiors? Leather car interiors are becoming increasingly popular among both customers and car manufacturers as they are not only durable and easy to keep clean, but associated with quality and prestige. Leather used in car interiors is usually tanned using the popular chrome or glutaraldehyde based processes. Within the European Union, the introduction of the 'end of life vehicle directive' will increasingly oblige auto manufactures to meet stringent targets on the recyclability and safe disposal of vehicles. The directive also refers to the phasing out of certain hazardous heavy metals - including chrome, from vehicle parts. This will mean automotive leather purchasers will need to look for quality leather tanned by alternative methods. An eco-friendly, high performance alternative is available from Rhodia - Albrite, a phosphonium based tanning agent. Rhodia are one of the world leaders in speciality chemicals, providing products and services to an extensive range of markets and applications, including the automotive industry. Recently they stormed the Paris Motorshow with a creative stand demonstrating the different areas of Rhodia's chemistry that contribute to all aspects of automobile construction. Albrite products possess low eco-toxicity and are readily biodegradable. These characteristics are transferred to the final article, producing performance leather that is fully biodegradable and recyclable. Research has shown composted Albrite tanned leather to be a ready source of phosphorous and nitrogen, which could be used as a supplementary, nitrogen rich fertiliser. Albrite is safe and easy to handle Albrite phosphonium based tannages are water based, easy to handle and compatible with most existing tannery chemicals and processes. In contrast to chrome based systems, Albrite tannage produces a white intermediate leather stage which has multifunctional applications. Albrite tannages penetrate quickly and are easily monitored throughout the entire tanning stage. This allows for cost effective dosing, reduced waste and process consistency. Eco friendly without compromising on quality, Albrite products produce chrome free leathers, which retain the characteristic feel and handle that makes leather a uniquely desirable material. Albrite tanned leather also exhibits increased ageing durability, high tear/tensile strength and inherent flame retardancy. Benefits of using Albrite products are that it is environmentally friendly - chrome free, metal free and glutaraldehyde free tanning. It gives consistent results - due to highly penetrative and effective tannage; improved dyeability leading to true, bright, intense colour shades with effective dye exhaustion. There is inherent flame retardancy which comes with Albrite. Other attributes are improved comfort - through increased water vapour permeability and durable leather - high tear/tensile strength and dimensional stability with improved resistance to ageing. Rhodia market their range of phosphorous-based leather tanning agents both directly under the Albrite trade name and via a number of licensed distributors. Rhodia select these distributors for their ability to provide the highest levels of technical support and their ability to bring in-depth application and process knowledge.