Synthesis and Characterization of Collagen Peptide Based Copolymer from Shaving Scrap

The leather industry generates a large amount of hazardous leather waste of various types every year. Among them, shaving scrap is difficult to recycle because it contains chromium ions. Many studies in recent years have shown that shaving scraps can be processed into various types of valuable products, such as adsorbent, filler, and poultry feed. In this study, collagen peptides were extracted from shaving scraps and structurally modified to be developed as new materials with improved phys-icochemical properties. First, the chromium ions contained in the shaving scraps were removed using a sodium hydroxide solution, and purified through concentration and low-temperature crystallization. The purified collagen peptide was used to prepare the powder using a spray dryer. The extracted collagen peptides were structurally modified by introducing double bonds by reacting with methacrylic anhydride (MAA), and the product was confirmed by¹H NMR spectroscopy. Next, a copolymer was prepared by redox polymerization of the modified collagen peptide (MCP) and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (2-EHA). The structure of the copolymer was qualitatively confirmed by FT-IR. In conclusion, this study confirmed that collagen peptides can be extracted from shaving scrap and converted into new eco-friendly materials through certain treatments.