Buffing dust from chrome tanned leather which is proteinous, impregnated with Chromium, synthetic fat, oil, tanning agents and dye chemicals is one of the difficult tannery wastes to manage. Its Characterization using neutron activation analysis technique indicates that Al, Cr, Fe, K and Na contribute as much as 17,600ppm, 5,000ppm, 43,000ppm, 5,500ppm and 12,200ppm respectively, while As, Ba, Br, Ca, Co, Cs, Dy, Eu, Hf, La, Lu, Mg, Mn, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sm, Ta, Th, Ti, U, V, Yb and Zn contribute 3.5 + ppm, 64 + 4ppm, 3.1+ 0.02ppm, 1.0 + 0.1ppm, 3.4 + 0.2ppm, 0.23 + 0.05ppm, <0.7ppm, 0.06 + 0.01ppm, <1.1ppm, 11.5 + 0.03ppm, 0.03 + 0.005ppm, <7250ppm, 153 + 21ppm, 24 + 2ppm, 0.8 + 0.05ppm, 2.02 + 0.06ppm, 2.1 + 0.1ppm, <1ppm, <1.2ppm, <2500ppm, <1.5ppm, <15ppm, <0.9ppm and 769 + 21ppm respectively. The results obtained were validated with the data obtained from the simultaneous analysis of IAE-336 (Lichen) and IAEA 358 (Cabbage) which are all Internationally certified biological reference materials.
