Fungal decomposition of chicken-feather waste in submerged and solid-state fermentation

Poultry industry is expanding rapidly and producing million tons of feather waste annually. Massive production of keratinaceous byproducts in the form of industrial wastes throughout the world necessitates its justified utilization. Chemical treatment of keratin waste is proclaimed as an eco-destructive approach by various researchers since it generates secondary pollutants. Keratinase released by a variety of microbes (bacteria and fungi) can be used for the effective treatment of keratin waste. Microbial degradation of keratin waste is an emerging and eco-friendly approach and offers dual benefits, i.e., treatment of recalcitrant pollutant (keratin) and procurement of a commercially important enzyme (keratinase). This study involves the isolation, characterization, and potential utility of fungal species for the degradation of chicken-feather waste through submerged and solid-state fermentation. The isolated fungus was identified and characterized as Aspergillus (A.) flavus. In a trial of 30 days, it was appeared that 74 and 8% feather weight was reduced through sub-merged and solid-state fermentation, respectively by A. flavus. The pH of the growth media in submerged fermentation was changed from 4.8 to 8.35. The exploited application of keratinolytic microbes is, therefore, recommended for the treatment of keratinaceous wastes to achieve dual benefits of remediation.

Bioepoxy based hybrid composites from nano-fillers of chicken feather and lignocellulose Ceiba Pentandra

In this work, fillers of waste chicken feather and abundantly available lignocellulose Ceiba Pentandra bark fibers were used as reinforcement with Biopoxy matrix to produce the sustainable composites. The aim of this work was to evaluate the mechanical, thermal, dimensional stability, and morphological performance of waste chicken feather fiber/Ceiba Pentandra bark fiber filler as potential reinforcement in carbon fabric-layered bioepoxy hybrid composites intended for engineering applications. These composites were prepared by a simple, low cost and user-friendly fabrication methods. The mechanical (tensile, flexural, impact, hardness), dimensional stability, thermal stability, and morphological properties of composites were characterized. The Ceiba Pentandra bark fiber filler-reinforced carbon fabric-layered bioepoxy hybrid composites display better mechanical performance compared to chicken feather fiber/Ceiba Pentandra bark fiber reinforced carbon fabrics layered bioepoxy hybrid composites. The Scanning electron micrographs indicated that the composites exhibited good adhesion at the interface of the reinforcement material and matrix system. The thermogravimetric studies revealed that the composites possess multiple degradation steps, however, they are stable up to 300 °C. The thermos-mechanical studies showed good dimensional stability of the composites. Both studied composites display better thermal and mechanical performance compared to neat bioepoxy or non-bioepoxy thermosets and are suitable for semi-structural applications.