Valorisation of keratin extracted from chicken feathers towards new bio-based polymers
In the European Union, about 15 million tonnes of poultry meat are processed each year and this consumption is expected to increase in the coming years. The poultry industry generates huge amounts of waste (40% per chicken), including feathers which constitute 8-10% of the live weight of chickens and result in about 3 million tonnes of waste generated in European countries alone. This by-product is usually either converted into feed of low nutritional value or incinerated. With a protein content of around 90% (keratin), poultry feathers are potentially a rich and renewable source of protein. At present, the conversion and use of feathers as a raw material in industrial applications is still very limited.
Project Partners
Alma Packaging AG
Centravo AG Micarna SA Maillefer SA
HEIA-FR / PICC
ChemTech Berner Fachhochschule
Project Manager
Prof. Dr. Rudolf Koopmans
HEIA-FR/ PICC
Project Funding
HES-SO
The Kera project assesses the feasibility of using unprocessed keratin from chicken feathers to make high-value compostable injection moulded parts and barrier films for packaging applications. The project proposes an innovative alternative to fossil fuel-based plastics produced from a locally produced bio-based raw material with low commercial and nutritional value. It addresses the problem of wasting a protein, with valuable material properties, through incineration and aerobic decomposition as a low-value fertiliser, not to mention the associated greenhouse gas emissions.
Two approaches will be pursued in the project: direct use of chicken feather powder as a composite for the development of bio-based polymers and selective extraction of keratin from the feather powder. The final product demonstrators envisaged are an injection moulded tray and a barrier film for packaging chicken fillets. The project will also include consumer acceptance and environmental impact assessments.
The Kera project is ongoing. It started in January 2021 and will end in August 2021.
