Important Facts For Prelims
Biocatalysts Cutting Effluent Discharge
- 09 Sep 2019
- 2 min read
Recently, the researchers at the Central Leather Research Institute (CSIR-CLRI), Chennai, developed a new amylase-based biocatalyst.
- This biocatalyst helps in processing leather in an eco-friendly manner.
- It drastically reduces the time taken to process the skin at the pre-tanning stage (or the soaking stage). The pre-tanning process generates 60-70% of total pollution during processing.
- When this biocatalyst is used, the quantum of effluent discharge is considerably reduced as there is a threefold reduction in water usage.
- Since no chemicals are used in the process, the chemical oxygen demand also drops by about 35%.
- The biocatalyst is stable at a high temperature (approx. 90° C) and pH, because of which up to 95% of the enzyme can be recovered and reused, after a single process.
Biocatalyst
- It is an enzyme or a protein that increases or catalyzes the rate of a biochemical reaction.
- An amylase-based biocatalyst is like a protein that breaks down the starch into simple sugar molecules increasing the rate of a biochemical reaction.
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
- Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is the amount of oxygen required to oxidize all of the organic carbon completely into CO2 and H2O.
- It is a method of determining the amount of oxygen that gets consumed by a body as a result of bacterial action in the water.
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research- Central Leather Research Institute (CSIR-CLRI)
- It was founded in 1948.
- The purpose behind its establishment was to develop an internal strength in the country to generate, assimilate and innovate technologies for the leather sector.
