A breakthrough could turn millions of tonnes of waste chicken feathers into a perennial source of green, bio-degradable plastic.

Others have tried to develop thermoplastics from feathers. But none of them perform well when wet, said Yiqi Yang, study co-author from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, who led the research.

Chicken feathers are an excellent prospect, Yang explained, because they are inexpensive and abundant. Annually there are more than three billion pounds of waste chicken feathers in the US alone, according to a Nebraska statement.

Thermoplastics are one of two major groups of plastics, and include nylon, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and dozens of other kinds.

They are used to make thousands of consumer and industrial products ranging from toothbrush bristles to soda pop bottles to car bumpers.

Thermoplastics got that name because they need heat (or chemicals) to harden from a liquid into a final shape, and can be melted and remoulded time and again. The other group, thermosetting plastics, harden once and cant be remelted again.

Yang pointed out that both kinds of plastics are made mainly from ingredients obtained from oil or natural gas.

We are trying to develop plastics from renewable resources to replace those derived from petroleum products, said Yang.

Yang explained that chicken feathers are made mainly of keratin, a tough protein also found in hair, hoofs, horns, and wool that can lend strength and durability to plastics.

He added that the mechanical properties of feather films outperform other biobased products, such as modified starch or plant proteins.

These findings were presented at the 241st National Meeting Exposition of the American Chemical Society, being held in Anaheim, California.

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