ABSTRACT
Tanneries play a tremendous role in strengthening the social and economic value of many countries. But, aside from the benefits for an economy, the enormous load– along with the toxic nature of tannery wastewater– makes the tanneries a potential threat to areas in their vicinity. The residual organic pollutants present in tannery wastewater are not completely degraded, even after the secondary treatment process and support the growth of pathogenic microbes, which goes into the aquatic environment along with tannery wastewater and cause serious health hazards to living organisms. The wastewater generated from tannery contains a variety of organic compounds, phthalates, dyes, chlorinated phenols, tannic acid, benzenes, and pesticide residues, and chromium as a potential inorganic pollutant. These chemical compounds are released with wastewater into the environment and have a negative effect on humans, plants, and on microbial communities. Tanning industries discharge their wastewater into nearby rivers and is being indirectly used for the irrigation of crops and vegetables. The high concentration of pollutants with low biodegradability in tannery wastewater represents a serious and hazardous challenge to the environment. Therefore, the effective and adequate treatment of tannery wastewater is a way to minimize the pollutant load and concerning toxicity from wastewater for its proper and safe disposal into the environment.
