Pure Mimosa Tanning Extract 5%

Description :

Mimosa tanning extract is derived from the bark of the Black Wattle tree, a species of Acacia native to Australia.

The species was introduced to South Africa in 1871, initially used as shelter-belts for stock and the wood for fuel and fencing. Later, it was discovered that the bark contained high levels of tannin which could be used for treating hides for leather production.

This led to the tree being widely planted to produce tanning extract for the leather industry.

Black Wattle grows best in the cool, mist-belt region of South Africa along the eastern escarpment where the annual rainfall is in excess of 800 mm per annum. There are about 110 000 hectares of commercial Black Wattle grown by some 2500 farmers, the majority of whom are black smallholders. The trees are grown on a 8 to10-year cycle and managed in such a manner as to ensure that growers receive a regular income from their trees and that a regular supply of good quality wattle bark is available for processing at the extract factories.

APPLICATION :

The application of Mimosa is very common worldwide and it can be modified by mixing with other types of tanning materials to adopt its characteristics to the specific leather type in re-tanning. Properties are natural soluble extracts, uniform in quality, pale in color, low in salts and sludge formation.

Correct tanning conditions give rapid penetration followed by high tannin fixation. Particularly suitable for the re-tanning of chrome leather where fullness, buff ability and good printing and plating properties are required.
The combination with other anionic tanning agents such as Suntans (Retanin SO), resins and polymers is common practice to enhance the finishing of the leather. In general, Mimosa is now the favourite natural tanning agent in the use of fast modern tanning systems in pits or drums. The light color of our Mimosa produces light color leather that camouflages grain defects and improves the selection of the finished leather and therefore results in higher quality of the leather.