Abstract

To achieve green technology in the treatment of leather using bio-based surfactants, crude extracts of Balanitesaegyptiaca roots from Demsa and Girei Local Government Areas of Adamawa State, Nigeria, were evaluated for saponins content prior to its application in treatment of goat skin. High saponins content were recorded for both root extracts from Demsa (RexD) 89.4% and Girei (RexG) 88.1%, however, the slight variation in saponins contents and some other chemical functionalities are attributed to different geographical factors in the two locations, influencing the bioavailability of phytochemicals in the plant. The effect of temperature on the tensile strength and elongation of leather treated with the crude saponins extract and a synthetic surfactant were studied and the results showed that the surfactant properties of the crude extracts improved with increase in treatment temperature. The experiments further showed that at optimum operating temperature (35 – 40°C), the crude extracts will compete with synthetic surfactants in an efficient treatment of leather.