Regenerated protein fibers with good mechanical properties have been produced from 100% keratin from chicken feathers. Chicken feather is a waste material with an annual production of about 2.5 billion pounds from poultry industry in the United States. Keratin, a type of protein, is the main component representing 80-90% weight of chicken feathers. With high crosslinking degree, keratin does not dissolve in common solvents for processing, and thus no keratin fibers have been successfully fabricated in decades. In this research, keratin was extracted with a yield higher than 60% using an environmentally benign reductant under mild alkaline conditions. The extracted keratin was dissolved in surfactant solution. Effect of surfactant on the rheology of the solution has been studied and the model of surfactant-keratin complex has been proposed. Regenerated fibers from obtained keratin have been wet spun from the solution. The fibers were as small as 20 microns in diameter and had morphology and gross appearance similar to wool. With good mechanical properties, regenerated keratin fibers demonstrated good potential for further industrial applications.

Novel regenerated protein fibers from chicken feather keratin

246th National Meeting (2013)

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