Durable and biodegradable thermoplastics from chicken feathers

05-Apr-11

A technique whereby chicken feathers can be turned into biodegradable thermoplastics has been developed by researchers at the Institute of Agriculture & Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. The new research purports to have found a way to create durable thermoplastics from chicken feathers. The new technique is an advancement over previous efforts in that it performs well when wet. “Using this technique, we believe we’re the first to demonstrate that we can make chicken-feather-based thermoplastics stable in water while still maintaining mechanical properties.” says Yiqi Yang, Ph.D., the study’s leader. Chicken feathers are an excellent prospect because they are inexpensive and abundant. Few shoppers think about it, but every shrink-wrapped broiler in the supermarket cooler leaves behind a few ounces of feathers. Annually there are more than 3 bln lbs of waste chicken feathers in the United States alone. These feathers can be processed into a low-grade animal feed, but that adds little value to the feathers and may also cause diseases in the animals. All too often, they become a waste disposal/environmental pollution headache, incinerated or stored in landfills. The team has tried to turn the feathers into thermoplastic, so it can also be used as the matrix material for composites, instead of using polyethylene or polypropylene. A chemical called methyl acrylate is added to the keratin, making it undergo polymerisation, the process which makes molecules link into long chains. This creates a film, which Dr Yang's group calls 'feather-g-poly(methyl acrylate)' plastic.