Extraction of Tannins from Birch Inner Bark
Hed, Leif; Hiltunen, Tatu; Favén, Leena (2025)
Centria University of Applied Sciences
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2025061871714
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2025061871714
Tiivistelmä
The aim of the study was the piloting and building a Nordic/Baltic value chain for natural tanning agents to replace imported vegetable tannins typically sourced from South America.
Based on previous studies, bark has shown promise as a tanning agent for leather. This research aimed to determine whether extracts from spruce and birch inner bark could be used as tanning agents. The objective was to optimize the extraction and enrichment of tannins for potential future industrial tanning applications.
Plant based condensed and hydrolysable tannins are non-toxic natural polyphenols that are a commercial commodity industrialized for tanning hides to obtain leather and for a growing number of other industrial applications mainly to substitute petroleum-based products (Pizzi et. al. 2024). They are a definite class of sustainable materials of the forestry industry. They have been in operation for hundreds of years to manufacture leather and now for a growing number of applications in a variety of other industries, such as wood adhesives, metal coating, pharmaceutical/medical applications, and several others.
On average, amount of bark in birch round wood variates from 12 % (Southern Finland) to 16 % (North Finland). (Partanen 2017; Hautakangas 2021).
Based on previous studies, bark has shown promise as a tanning agent for leather. This research aimed to determine whether extracts from spruce and birch inner bark could be used as tanning agents. The objective was to optimize the extraction and enrichment of tannins for potential future industrial tanning applications.
Plant based condensed and hydrolysable tannins are non-toxic natural polyphenols that are a commercial commodity industrialized for tanning hides to obtain leather and for a growing number of other industrial applications mainly to substitute petroleum-based products (Pizzi et. al. 2024). They are a definite class of sustainable materials of the forestry industry. They have been in operation for hundreds of years to manufacture leather and now for a growing number of applications in a variety of other industries, such as wood adhesives, metal coating, pharmaceutical/medical applications, and several others.
On average, amount of bark in birch round wood variates from 12 % (Southern Finland) to 16 % (North Finland). (Partanen 2017; Hautakangas 2021).