Abstract:The performance as reinforcement of a fibrillar protein such as feather keratin fiber over a biopolymeric matrix composed of polysaccharides was evaluated in this paper. Three different kinds of keratin reinforcement were used: short and long biofibers and rachis particles. These were added separately at 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt% to the chitosan-starch matrix and the composites were processed by a casting/solvent evaporation method. The morphological characteristics, mechanical and thermal properties of the matrix and composites were studied by scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis. The thermal results indicated that the addition of keratin enhanced the thermal stability of the composites compared to pure matrix. This was corroborated with dynamic mechanical analysis as the results revealed that the storage modulus of the composites increased with respect to the pure matrix. The morphology, evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, indicated a uniform dispersion of keratin in the chitosan-starch matrix as a result of good compatibility between these biopolymers, also corroborated by FTIR. These results demonstrate that chicken feathers can be useful to obtain novel keratin reinforcements and develop new green composites providing better properties, than the original biopolymer matrix.

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The sorption behavior of dye remazol yellow using surfactant modified zeolitic rock and a carbonaceous material obtained by pyrolysis of sewage sludge and treated with HCl (1.0%) solution was determined. The kinetic and sorption isotherms experimental results were best adjusted to the pseudosecond order model and to the Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm model which indicate that the sorption process is chemisorption on heterogeneous materials. Remazol yellow could be removed from the saturated modified zeolitic material by different processes, unfortunately, the surfactant was removed together with the dye, the best results were found using Fenton's reagent. Thermal treatment was the best method found to remove the dye from the carbonaceous material.