Assessing Duck Feather as Eco-Paper

I. INTRODUCTION

Feathers are waste products of the poultry industry. Poultry farms generate a
large amount of feather waste each year, therefore creating a serious solid waste
problem. Chicken and other poultry products generate feather waste when the
birds are processed in commercial dressing plants. Traditional disposal strategies of
feather are expensive and difficult. They are often burned in incineration plants,
buried in landfills, or recycled into low quality animal feeds. However, these
disposal methods generate greenhouse gases that pose danger to the
environment.

Chicken and other poultry feathers are approximately half feather fiber (barbs)
and half quills (rachis) by weight. Both feather fiber and quill are made of keratin
(about 90%), an insoluble, and highly durable protein found in hair, hoofs, and
horns of animals.

Due to the fibers found in the feathers, the researchers found out that the
feathers could be used as paper whilst reducing the waste generated by the
poultry industry.