One-Pot Process: Microwave-Assisted Keratin Extraction and Direct Electrospinning

Published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 22(17), 9597 (2021) · MDPI · Open access, CC BY
DOI: 10.3390/ijms22179597

Summary

Poultry feathers are among the most abundant keratin-rich waste streams and among the most polluting. This study develops a one-pot process in which microwave-assisted extraction pulls keratin from the feathers and the raw extract is then electrospun directly, without purification. Skipping the purification step is what makes the route viable: it removes the stage where most waste-to-material processes lose their economic advantage, turning feathers into keratin-based bioplastics in a single sequence.

Authors & Affiliations

  • Emilia Pulidori
    Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Italy
  • Simone Micalizzi
    Research Centre "E. Piaggio", University of Pisa, Italy
  • Emilia Bramanti
    Institute of Chemistry of Organometallic Compounds, CNR, Pisa, Italy
  • Luca Bernazzani
    Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Italy
  • Celia Duce Corresponding
    Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Italy
  • Carmelo De Maria
    Research Centre "E. Piaggio", University of Pisa, Italy

Linari Electrospinning Systems

Linari electrospinning apparatus with grounded flat collector
The keratin extract was spun directly on a Linari Engineering apparatus using aluminium foil as a grounded collector and a commercial 10 ml syringe - a deliberately simple setup, suited to a process whose point is to avoid added complexity. See our range of systems.

Topics

Waste Valorization Microwave-Assisted Extraction Bioplastics One-Pot Processing

Materials

Keratin Poultry feathers
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