About 4 billion lbs. of chicken feathers are generated by the poultry industry each year. Researchers at USDA-Ag. Research Service and the Hort. Research Institute have been collaborating on a project to formulate growing containers using feathers. The containers, which contain no petroleum components, would degrade over a variable amount of time from 1 to 5 years. ARS scientists have developed feather fiber which has numerous uses including air and water filtration and as a component of feather-derived plastic, which has properties similar to commercial polyethylene and polypropylene. The goal of the ARS and HRI researchers is to develop biodegradable keratin-based resins that can be used by container manufacturers to produce sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based flower pots. The scientists are also conducting biodegradability and composting trials to meet ASTM standards for bioplastics.
Photo by Stephen Ausmus
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