Fully Biodegradable Biocomposites with High Chicken Feather Content

Abstract

The aim of this work was to develop new biodegradable polymeric materials with high loadings of chicken feather (CF). In this study, the effect of CF concentration and the type of biodegradable matrix on the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of the biocomposites was investigated. The selected biopolymers were polylactic acid (PLA), polybutyrate adipate terephthalate (PBAT) and a PLA/thermoplastic copolyester blend. The studied biocomposites were manufactured with a torque rheometer having a CF content of 50 and 60 wt %. Due to the low tensile strength of CFs, the resulting materials were penalized in terms of mechanical properties. However, high-loading CF biocomposites resulted in lightweight and thermal-insulating materials when compared with neat bioplastics. Additionally, the adhesion between CFs and the PLA matrix was also investigated and a significant improvement of the wettability of the feathers was obtained with the alkali treatment of the CFs and the addition of a plasticizer like polyethylene glycol (PEG). Considering all the properties, these 100% fully biodegradable biocomposites could be adequate for panel components, flooring or building materials as an alternative to wood–plastic composites, contributing to the valorisation of chicken feather waste as a renewable material.This work was supported by KaRMA2020 project. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program under Grant Agreement n° 723268

Bio-Based Composites from Industrial By-products and Wastes as Raw Materials

“…According to the literature (Belarmino et al, 2012;Ana Laura Martínez-Hernández & Carlos Velasco-Santos, 2012;Reddy & Yang, 2007;Staron et al, 2011), the high water gain of the composites with feathers compared with that of resins is mainly attributed to the high hygroscopic character of keratin from feathers. The results obtained are in agreement with the results already published (Aranberri et al, 2018(Aranberri et al, , 2017Colom, Rahalli, Cañavate, & Carrillo, 2015;Hong & Wool, 2005), in which the addition of CFP's increases significantly the water absorption in a composite irrespective of the nature of the polymeric matrix.…”

“…Fully biodegradable bio-composite were developed by Aranberri et al (2017) using three biodegradable matrices (polylactic acid (PLA), polybutyrate adipate terephthalate (PBAT) and a PLA/thermoplastic copolyester blend) and a high loadings of chicken feathers (50-60 wt.%) as reinforcement. The authors investigated and compared the mechanical properties of the three matrices with those obtained for bio-composites with CF.…”

Analysis of Barriers to Transitioning from a Linear to a Circular Economy for End of Life Materials: A Case Study for Waste Feathers

“…The chemical composition combined with the structure produces the unique combination of properties of feathers, and these include high tensile strength and toughness, extremely low density and excellent thermal insulating properties. Exploiting these characteristics in new materials manufactured from waste feathers has been the subject of increased research in recent years [54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62]. Although down feathers are used for filling duvets, clothes and upholstery, only a very small percentage of the waste feathers produced and available from the poultry industry are beneficially reused.…”

Energy Recovery from Industrial Feather Waste by Gasification

“…Poultry feathers are the most keratinous waste that exists (91%), small quantity of lipids 1% and 8 % water [1]. The poultry processing industry has known in the last years a very fast and vertically development [2]. Currently, worldwide is showing the strongest growth in output of any category of meat.…”

“…Currently, worldwide is showing the strongest growth in output of any category of meat. The generation of feather waste only in the European Union (EU-28) in 2014 was 3.1 million tons [2]. This huge industry is generating annually big quantities of waste, that according to European Union must be neutralized in special incineration plants [3].…”