Benitan
Retanning agents formulated without formaldehyde or bisphenols, backed by LCMS-MS testing.
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SustainabilityGG Organics India (P) Ltd. is a pioneering leader in the leather industry, providing cutting-edge and sustainable chemical solutions for leather processing. Established in 2008, with its manufacturing facility in Pondicherry and headquarters in Chennai, both on India's southern coast.
Our state-of-the-art laboratory is equipped with advanced LCMS-MS equipment, enabling us to identify the concentration of bisphenol in retanning agents and leather. Our products are manufactured with a strict control on restricted substances.
We strive to create a healthier world through our mission of delivering superior performance, utilizing advanced technology and developing a safe environment. We believe in creating value for our customers through a continually evolving product portfolio.
What is bisphenol?
- Bisphenol is a synthetic organic compound containing two phenol groups (two hydroxyl phenyl groups), used mainly for making plastics and resin.
- Types include Bisphenol A (BPA), Bisphenol AF (BPAF), Bisphenol B (BPB), Bisphenol F (BPF) and Bisphenol S (BPS).
Aromatic syntans
- Receive much attention due to their advantages of filling property, dispersibility, and bleachability.
- Well suited for all colour shades and result in leathers with a better lightfastness, compared to leathers retanned with vegetable tannins.
- Generally prepared through condensation, sulfonation and other reactions using phenol or naphthalene, formaldehyde, and concentrated sulfuric acid as raw materials.
Common compounds in aromatic syntans
- Phenolic monomers such as phenol.
- Phenol sulfonic acid.
- Bisphenol S (dihydroxy diphenyl sulphone).
- Bisphenol F.
- These compounds are used as either starting materials or intermediate molecules formed during the manufacturing process.
How bisphenols enter leather processing
- Aromatic syntans are condensates of phenolsulfonic acid and/or phenol and/or dihydroxydiphenylsulfone (Bisphenol S) with formaldehyde, where urea is optionally used.
- Bisphenol S is used as a raw material for the manufacture of sulphone syntans.
- Depending on the efficiency of the condensation process, a certain amount of phenolic monomers is left unreacted. This unreacted phenol may react with formaldehyde, forming bisphenol F.
- In the leather industry, these phenol and sulphone syntans are primarily used for pre-tanning, tanning, retanning and dyeing.
- Unreacted phenolic monomers present in the syntans will be transferred to the leather during the retanning processes.
Why the restrictions matter
- Bisphenol and its derivatives are known endocrine disruptors, harmful to both human health and the environment, and can cause reproductive toxicity.
- Regulatory restrictions on bisphenol derivatives are tightening across the global leather market.
Also under sustainability
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