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Chicken feathers are made mostly of keratin, a protein also found in hair, hoofs, horns, and wool. Author, one of the symposium's presenters and a research scientist at Org., explained that, relative to other proteins, keratin has a high cysteine concentration. The sulfur atoms in the cysteine residues tend to cross-link with one another, and this makes the protein tough, strong, and lightweight. "Keratin from chicken feathers is robust like wool, but still relatively processable," author said. He & colleague have found that the material is ideal for strengthening composites. Because the keratin is naturally lightweight, it adds reinforcement to the composites without adding weight. Author uses conventional processing techniques to make these composites. Because chicken feathers are fairly inexpensive, he reckons that they could be cost-competitive with materials such as fiberglass and, consequently, ideal for automotive uses. The primary cost of using chicken feathers comes from cleaning and sanitizing the feathers and stripping the thin feather fibers away from the quill. Both the fibers and the quill contain keratin, but scientists have primarily used the feather fibers, which are smaller and have a characteristic hollow tube structure. FEATHER FIBERS Keratin in chicken feather fibers, seen in this scanning electron micrograph, forms strong, hollow tubes with a characteristic shape. BIRD IN A WIRE Chicken feather microchip, printed by using a semiconductor fabrication technique. COURTESY OF author USING ONLY the fibers creates feather waste because the quill portion, which accounts for about half of the feather by weight, still needs to be disposed of. For his latest project--creating biodegradable films out of chicken feathers--Author gets around this problem by using the entire feather as a raw material. To make his feather-based films, author grinds up the whole feather. Because he only needs the keratin protein and not the fibrous structure, it doesn't matter if the keratin comes from the feather's fibers or its quill. Not only does this eliminate feather waste, but, as author pointed out, it also saves the cost of separating the quill and fibers. Author can think of a number of applications for his feather films, but using them as mulching films appears particularly promising. Farmers and gardeners often use petroleum-based polymer films to prevent weeds from choking out certain crops and flowers. When the growing season is finished, before the land can be tilled, these films have to be pulled up by hand so that they aren't ground into the soil. The process is tedious and usually costs a lot in labor. "THERE'S A LARGE impetus to make these films biodegradable," author explained. Unlike petroleum-based films, feather-based films would not need to be removed. Instead, they could be chopped up and turned into the ground, providing another nitrogen source for the soil. Because the poultry industry makes only a few pennies in profit for every pound of chicken it produces, author said he tries to be conscious of costs. The industry is unlikely to invest in anything that will require new processes or equipment, so he makes a point of utilizing commonly used processing methods |
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