Extracting Keratin from Chicken Feathers and Studying some of the Factors Affecting the Extraction Process

Abstract

Chicken feather waste causes environmental and health problems, so thought was given to properly disposing of it by extracting keratin, the main component of the waste. In this research, we used two different solutions for extracting keratin, using urea and cysteine as solution (A) and sodium dodecyl sulfate as solution (B). The factors affecting the extraction method, including temperature, pH, time, and urea concentration, were studied. The optimal conditions for the extraction process were determined. The results showed that the optimal conditions for extraction, as determined by solution (A), were a temperature of 70 °C, a pH greater than 11, a reaction time of 6 hours, and a urea concentration of 8 M. Under these conditions, the yield reached 50%. For solution (B), the optimum extraction temperature was 70 °C, the duration was 2 hours, and the pH was greater than 11, yielding 39.9%. The biuret test confirmed the resulting protein material, and the protein percentage was estimated by the Kjeldahl method. Peaks at the wavenumbers of the functional bonds (N-H) and (C=O) were noticed by FTIR. DSC thermal examination also gave the glass transition point and melting point of raw feathers and extracted keratin. The research results demonstrated good effectiveness in keratin extraction and the utilization of waste materials, rather than discarding them.