One of the aims of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is to proffer solutions to the environmental problems through the conversion of waste products to useful materials that are environmentally friendly, and that could bring a clean and safe environment. Poultry feathers have constituted significant environmental problems, being non-biodegradable, and scholars have been saddled with the aim of converting this waste into biodegradable products. This study was aimed at extracting keratin from chicken feathers and using it as a constituent in the production of bioplastic film. Keratin extraction was performed according to Elemile et al. (2022), and bioplastic film production was performed according to the procedure of Sharma et al. (2018). Characterization of synthesized bioplastics were done using various spectroscopic techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), The SEM image of bioplastic films indicated presence of rough, porous, interconnected surface morphology with micro-void and layered structure indicating strong compatibility and strong intermolecular interactions between keratin and cellulose while that of keratin showed rough, porous and agglomerated morphology. The FTIR spectra of bioplastic films indicated characteristic amide I and II bands, while that of keratin showed functional groups, such as hydrogen bonding, typical of proteins. The EDX result for bioplastic films showed better qualities when compared to the keratin. From the analysis, it can be concluded that the bioplastic film showed better properties, which can be useful in industrial applications.
Alonge et al. (Thu,) studied this question.