AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON THE PRODUCTION OF KERATIN-BASED XEROGEL FROM CHICKEN FEATHER WASTE

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ABSTRACT

In recent years, there has been a rise in the consumption of chicken meat, resulting in an increase in the generation of chicken feather wastes. Current disposal methods for these wastes have also been reported to have several environmental and health concerns. In this study, waste chicken feathers, which are an abundant source of keratin which is a fibrous protein, were utilized in the preparation of xerogel, a solid structure with a high porosity, high surface area, low pore size and used in a wide range of applications. Keratin was first extracted and isolated via dissolution using sodium sulfide, followed by precipitation and purification, wherein a percent yield of 5.96% was obtained. A succeeding characterization using Biuret Test and UV- visible spectrophotometry confirmed the presence of keratin. The extracted keratin was, then, used to prepare a xerogel via oven drying. In the process, rough opaque brittle white solids, with a bulk density of 1.23320 g/cm3 were produced, which is higher than the theoretical bulk density of an organic xerogel (<0.40 g/cm3). The bulk density, however, was near to that of pure keratin (1.283 g/cm3 to 1.335 g/cm3), which could mean that the methods used during its preparation were insufficient to turn the keratin powder into a xerogel. However, there is a need to validate the identity of the produced sample using more parameters and standardized procedures since only one parameter was studied. Further studies on the optimization of the methods and conditions for the preparation of keratin-based xerogel is also highly recommended.

Keywords: keratin, xerogel, bulk density, Biuret Test