VALORISATION OF CHICKEN FEATHERS:

Tamrat Tesfaye

Supervisors :- Prof. Bruce Sithole

14 February 2017

Chicken Processing

Why Chicken Feathers?

20-22% Other wastes (blood, head, feet, viscerae, bones)

8-10 % feathers

68 -72 % meat

Human beings do not consume chicken feathers (…at least not on purpose!)

45

gto

2.5

-3.0

kgaf

ter

42

to4

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ays

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eyar

esl

augh

tere

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99

2).

World poultry production

• Broiler chickens: 58 billion chickens

• 46.6 billion lbs chicken meat in USA

• 20 billion pounds feathers

North West

25%

Western Cape

22%Mpumalanga

18%

KwaZulu-

Natal

16%

Eastern Cape

7%

Gauteng

5%Free State

5%

Limpopo

1%

Northern Cape

1%

Distribution of slaughtering-SA

0

500

1000

1500

20052007200920112013

Bro

ilers

sla

ugh

tere

d

(Mill

ion

s)

Year

Broilers slaughtered in

SA

528 million pound chicken feathers/annum

275 broiler producers and 231contract growers, (SAPA, 2013).

UTILIZATION OF FEATHERS:- Present Scenario

• What to do with the more than 20 billion pounds of poultry feather waste generated each year?

Utilization and disposal

techniques/ present scenario

Burial and controlled land

filling

Incineration Medical

applicationsDecorative purpose

Shuttle cocks

Current Research

Disinfection

Physical properties

Chemical properties

Valorisation routes

STRUCTURE OF FEATHERS

Morphological structure

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

Structure of Chicken feathers

• Low density - No natural or synthetic fibres can compete• Excellent compressibility, sound dampening, and warmth retention

Composition of chicken feathers:• 91% protein (keratin) 1% lipids, and 8% water.

• Disulphide bonds, hydrogen bonds, covalent bonds, salt linkages and cross linkages (Schmidt,2001).

Feather fibers, yarn and fabricsBlending with other fibers

Biodegradable plastics

UTILIZATION OF FEATHERS:- Future prospects

BiomedicalEngineering

Packing materialThe feathers used to producebioresin plastic

Water purification• Sponges

Fuel Storage

• strong, lightweight, hollow tubes.

• more porous after heating

• Increased surface area

Biofuels and biodiesel

Paper industry and Filtration

Geotextiles • Stiff and rigid:• restricts soil erosion• Increases soil moisture content

Pharmaceuticals Fats: cholesterol source synthesis of vitamin D3Steroid pharmaceuticals

CosmeticsFor skin:- increases skin elasticityand hydration.For hair:- moisturising properties

Construction industry

Conclusions

• Low cost, large availability and unique properties

• Increase national security by decreasing reliance on foreign oil resources.

• Minimize environmental pollution

• Enhance economic benefits for the poultry producers, processors, andstimulate development of feather product industries.