Evaluation of waste chicken feather protein hydrolysate as a bio-based binder for particleboard production

Abstract

The present study investigate the beneficiation potential of extracted keratin protein hydrolysate from chicken feather waste biomass as bio-adhesive for the production of particleboard. Chicken feathers were hydrolyzed using hybrid alkaline hydrolysis, and the obtained keratin protein fraction was used for bio-adhesive formulation. The formulated adhesive was employed for particleboard fabrication using the American National Standards Institute (A208.1) 1-L-1 grade specification. The quality of bio-adhesive and the particleboard mechanical strength performance were evaluated with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE) and density. The FTIR spectra confirmed the amine, alkyl side chains and carboxylic groups of the amino acids in the unmodified keratin-based binder. The spectra revealed the covalent bonding between the azetidinium of the citric acid-based polyamide-epichlorohydrin cross-linking and the hydroxyl groups of the keratin protein hydrolysate. The fabricated particleboard's mechanical strength performance met the specification for the 1-L-1 grade of the American National Standards Institute (A208.1). The respective values obtained for modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity of the panels made with unmodified keratin-based adhesive were 6, 5 and 1184, 34 MPa, respectively. The cellulose nanocrystals incorporation as a filler enhanced the formulated bio-adhesive static bending and bonding strength properties. Therefore, these findings demonstrate that keratin hydrolysate protein extracts from chicken feather waste could be considered as a potential feedstock for environmentally friendly wood composites bio-binder production.