BioSpectrumIndia - the business of biotech - Superstore of leather tech

CLRI is one of the premier R&D organizations in the country with a strong foundation in both basic and applied research in leather and allied sciences. A thoughtful investment.

In the year 1996, the Apex Court declared the closure of 400 tanneries in Tamil Nadu citing serious environmental problems of tannery effluents. Nearly 148 scientists from the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) demonstrated cleaner leather process technologies in tanneries and undertook the responsibility of providing the know-how on plant pollution control measures. The result: today almost all the tanneries in Tamil Nadu have either established Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) or connected to the CETPs. The national gain in terms of saving chemicals, improvement in the quality of leather and cost reduction in treating the effluents have been enormous by way of adopting the cleaner process technologies. "Probably, this is one example of its kind in India where science really solved a national problem," remarked Dr T Ramasami, director, CLRI.

Interestingly, the first bio-product from CLRI for processing of skin into leather was aborted. This happened in 1959, when the tanning industry was not tech-savvy, therefore there were no buyers for this product. Even though their first bio-product had to be aborted, that did not mark the sunset of their travail. CLRI has today emerged as one of the few laboratories in the world to recognize the value of biotechnology in leather research. Activities in the area of biotechnology in CLRI took a definite shape in 1990, when the department of biotechnology was formed. Since then the focus is in the areas of enzyme technology, in vivo and in vitro studies on connective tissue metabolism and in the development of plant and synthetic drugs for use in the animal models for myocardial infarction and arthritis. In addition, the department provides training in the above areas for carrying out PhD, M Tech and MS Programs of the University of Madras, Anna University, BITS and other universities.

On 31 January 2004, the first full-scale commercial product for the removal of hair in leather processing using enzymes is being launched by an Indian company with technology from CLRI, which has already got the international patent for this product and the concept.

Technologies from CLRI

Surgical sutures (commercialized in 1970s earning for CLRI substantial royalty and FICCI award
Collagen sheet for burn dressing material (commercialized in 1996)
A range of Collagen based biomedical products (commercialized since 2001)
A series of enzyme formulations for applications in leather processing (in commercial use for more than two decades)
Auto skin grafts based on epidermal cultures
Maxibloc (bone implants), pet food (from slaughter house by products)
Wound healing support systems (herbal and molecular systems)
Bio active peptides for cardio vascular functions
Bioprocessing of leather

Patents and Inventions

A process for the production of immobilized pancreatic enzyme product for use in leather manufacture:
R Puvanakrishnan, SM Bose and SC Dhar, Indian Patent No.151088 (1980)
A process for the preparation of a terminally protected tetrapeptide derivative exhibiting in vitro inhibition of platelet aggregation and antimicrobial activity: CV Ramesh, R Jayakumar, NR Kamini and R Puvanakrishnan, Indian Patent No.185761 Granted November 2001.
A process for the synthesis of a novel dipeptide derivative exhibiting in vitro fibrinolytic activity: CV Ramesh, R Jayakumar and R Puvanakrishnan, Indian Patent No.185766 Granted November 2001
A process for the production of a novel lipase: C Hemachander, R Boopathy Naidu and R Puvanakrishnan, Indian Patent No.1555 DEL 99
An improved process for the production of stable lipase: NR Kamini, J Geraldine Sandana Mala, D Raghunatha Rao and R Puvanakrishnan, Indian Patent No. 1556 DEL 99
A process for the preparation of alkaline protease and its eco-friendly application in the pretanning processes of leather manufacture. CLRI – NCL Joint Patent , Indian Patent Application No. 159 DEL 2002
A process for the preparation of alkaline protease: CLRI – NCL Joint Patent (US Patent), Application No. 10/095428 (2002)

The launch of the product will coincide with the 38th Leather Research Industry Get-Together (LEGRIG) in Chennai. This is an annual event held in Chennai from 31 January to 4 February, jointly by Indian Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO), with technology support and theme from CLRI. This year LEGRIG will have the theme "Paradigms in Leather Production", where the focus will be on the paradigm shift required in the way the finished leather is bring produced, with the tannery sector as the area of focus.

Tracing back

CLRI was formed in 1948, when 99 percent of India’s export was raw hide (bigger animal skin) and raw skin. The planners of India decided to convert raw material into finished product. This meant the need of technology. Therefore, CLRI was founded to develop an internal strength in the country to generate, assimilate and innovate technologies for the leather sector.

Today 60 percent of the leather industry in India is being manned and managed by the alumni of CLRI. In the words of Dr Ramasami, "We get the hide from the animal, where as the animals are found in the villages and the finished product goes to global market. Initially the weaker section of the society did the leather processing, who were less informed. Today with the leather industry being dominated by the alumni from CLRI, they could successfully carry the technology along with them to their workplace."

On this day CLRI is world’s largest research institute for leather and it strives to marry leather to its diverse functions. In other words it plays as the supermarket for leather related technologies.

Taking the biotech way

The scientists in CLRI are working at replacing bio-chemicals in leather processing with biological catalyst. Nature, the International weekly journal of science made a special mention of their concept in their publication where they said: "Scientists in India are using biological catalysts like those in saliva to turn animal hide into leather. Their approach could be only half as polluting as chemical tanning techniques. Tanners have a poor environmental record … Today, leather-makers have cleaned up their act, but their ‘dehairing’ and ‘fibre-opening’ steps are still pretty noxious. After scraping the flesh off animal skins, tanners soak them in lime (calcium oxide) and sodium sulphide to remove hair. They then loosen up the hides’ fibres to soften them, again with lime. Sodium sulphide produces foul-smelling gases; lime leaves a poisonous sludge. Enzymes are already being used for dehairing in some parts of the world. Now Jonnalagadda Raghava Rao and colleagues at the Central Leather Research Institute in Chennai have found enzymes to replace lime in the softening step, where a protein-carbohydrate blend called proteoglycan is stripped out of a hide to leave only a clean web of tangled fibres of the protein collagen. Amylases, akin to those in saliva that turn carbohydrates into their component sugars, break down proteoglycan as effectively as lime does, Rao and colleagues show. The researchers complete their amylase-treated hides conventionally, soaking them in chemical or vegetable tanning agents to stop them rotting. The hides are as soft as limed pelts, and look much the same under the microscope."

Nisha Kurian

"Our endeavor is to convert biological waste into high end products." - Dr Ramasami

Dr T Ramasami, director, Central Leather Research Institute, is committed to the cause of science relating to technology, technology relating to manufacture and manufacture relating to society. His commitment to science and technology won him laurels on 26 January 2001 when he was conferred with "Padmashri", the National Civilian Award. But on close interaction with Dr Ramasami, one will realize that he is not just a scientist, but also a merchandiser, thinking on lines on how to sell technology. It was under his leadership that the biotechnology division of CLRI became more commercially linked and visible. "One need not just be a scientist, but also a business man." When he took charge as the Director of CLRI in 1996, he had vowed that they would have 70 percent market share in the fashion leather world with respect to color selection. Today CLRI or in other words India has 100 percent market share in forecasting leather and color trends.

Besides being a scientist plus a businessman, Dr Ramasami is the owner of an innovative mind, who believes that Biotechnology is knowledge-driven manufacturing. And now he has made yet another covenant. "I want this institution to go bio-oriented though basically I am a chemist".

But why bio? What is the scope you see in biotechnology?

There is no escape from the application of biotechnology from meeting the swelling future material needs of mankind. Considering the amount of food consumption at the present level and the food required for the growing population, we require land. We have to produce food 20 times efficiently. That means we have a bulging need but less space. The only answer to this demand is biotechnology, where we can get landless irrigation, and produce food in the factories. That is to say industrial production of food to feed the mouth. But at the same time this is also not without danger. Mankind has been genetically designed to take natural food. So if you take genetically modified food, you will end up as another being.

Biotechnology is knowledge driven manufacturing. Any manufacturing can be broken into four parts: Material driven manufacturing, market driven manufacturing, technology driven manufacturing and innovation and knowledge driven manufacturing. The Indian worker is basically innovative, that is why we succeeded in IT since it is knowledge driven. Similarly, I want this institute to go bio-oriented.

How did biotechnology happen in CLRI?

I would say, the conception took place in the Fifties, birth in Seventies, and high growth in Nineties. Now we are heading towards zero discharge. We are now putting up technology and application of science to gain high value products from biological waste. There is already one technology commercialized to generate electricity after bio-methanation. In fact from one of these wastes we have made dog biscuits, animal and poultry feeds, hair shampoo, amino acids, which are high value products.

This stream of activity is done as a network of CSIR where four labs are involved—CLRI, Central Food Technology Research Institute (Mysore), CCMB (Hyderabad) and IMTECH (Chandigarh). When we convert animal hide into leather, half of it will go into the product and another half will go as biological waste. This poses solid waste and management problem. So our endeavor is to convert biological waste into high end products.

But isn’t your core area leather?

Our core area is leather and we will maintain leadership in that. But these are directions on how applications find their way into human life and it is like consolidation of expertise in other applications. In our lab, we are working on a project where we are studying how chromium used in tanning industry affects the death of lymphocytes, which give humans immunity. In human body there is birth and death of cells. If that doesn’t happen it will lead to some kind of disorder. But we found that some other chromium compound and not the one used in tanning affects the death of lymphocytes. This programmed death of cells is called Apoptosis. We are now working on this area. Now one would wonder why should we work on such an area. But my answer is if we understand that Apoptosis is related to avoidance of occupational health and safety, why not work on it?

Similarly in tie-up with MV Diabetic Clinic we have developed a Foot Care Product for the diabetic patients. People, who suffer from diabetes, have no circulation in their feet. If they don’t look after themselves they may hurt their feet, which may lead to amputation. So we have developed a foot wear for the diabetic patients, which will be sold along with the diabetic kit.

What are your other activities in biotechnology?

One of our approaches towards biotechnology is to make bio-medical products from biological material. And most of these bio-medical products are byproducts of slaughterhouses. We have already developed many such bio-medical products like the Collagen Sheet, which can be used to treat burns. It is a natural material, which will act like the Band-Aid by protecting the wound against infection, heals them and removes the scar. This can even be used for covering leprosy. Currently we have six products in this segment and we are accelerating in this area. Other products in this category are eye care products and drug control delivery system again based on Collagen.

Our second stream of activity is to make a paradigm shift in leather processing by using biotechnology. Last year the Government of India and CSIR set up a project called New Millenium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI). Here we are looking at opportunities where India can provide pre-competitive leadership in technology world over, and Biotechnology for leather was selected as one of them. We have started this work in association with 11 institutes—IISC, Bangalore; CDFD, Hyderabad; CCMB, Hyderabad; NCL, Pune; IMTECH, Chandigarh; CLRI; Madurai Kamraj University; Alagappa University-Karaikuddi; Delhi University; Pune University and SPIC Science Foundation. Besides, 40 scientists are also involved in this project.

The basic idea is to go from bio-chemical to bioprocessing in leather processing. We have to come up with applications of biotechnology for development of products and processing, which will replace sodium sulphide and lime in the pre-tanning operations. Sodium sulphide is highly toxic and causes major problems to workers in this industry. Use of lime creates sludge problem. So we are in the process of developing enzymatic products from microbes to fully replace sodium sulphide and lime.

What will be your future contribution?

We have entered into collaboration with TICEL Biopark, where we will be managing the park’s animal biotechnology and analytical laboratory. Also we will be giving technology for companies incubated in TICEL for any Collagen-base byproduct. A branch of CLRI is going to operate from TICEL.