Impact of Steam-Exploded Feather Incorporation on the Biodegradation Performance of Renewable Biocomposites

The increasing environmental concerns regarding plastic waste, especially in agriculture, have driven the search for sustainable alternatives. Agricultural plastics, such as mulching films and greenhouse covers, are heavily reliant on petrochemical-derived materials, which persist in the environment...

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Autores: Vadillo, Julen, Montes, Sarah, Grande, Hans-Jürgen, Beeckman, Eveline, Verstichel, Steven, Almqvist, Jonna
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad del País Vasco
Repositorio:Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
OAI Identifier:oai:addi.ehu.eus:10810/77420
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10810/77420
Access Level:acceso abierto
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spelling Impact of Steam-Exploded Feather Incorporation on the Biodegradation Performance of Renewable BiocompositesVadillo, JulenMontes, SarahGrande, Hans-JürgenBeeckman, EvelineVerstichel, StevenAlmqvist, JonnaThe increasing environmental concerns regarding plastic waste, especially in agriculture, have driven the search for sustainable alternatives. Agricultural plastics, such as mulching films and greenhouse covers, are heavily reliant on petrochemical-derived materials, which persist in the environment and contribute to long-term pollution. This study explores the use of biodegradable biocomposites made from steam explosion-treated chicken feathers and various polymer matrices to address these issues. Chicken feathers, a waste by-product of the poultry industry, present an excellent biodegradability as a result of the steam explosion treatment and contain nitrogen, potentially enhancing soil fertility. The biocomposites were characterized by thermal stability, mechanical properties, and biodegradability, and ecotoxicity assessments were carried out studying the incorporation of feathers into the soil. Results showed that the incorporation of treated chicken feathers increased the water absorption capacity of the composites, promoting faster disintegration and biodegradation. In particular, biocomposites made with polyhydroxyalkanoates and Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) exhibited a significant increase in degradation rates, from 3–10% in the first month for pure matrices to 40–50% when reinforced with treated feathers. Meanwhile, those made from polylactic acid showed slower degradation. Furthermore, the addition of feathers positively influenced crop growth at low concentrations, acting as a slow-release fertilizer. However, high concentrations of feathers negatively affect plant growth due to excess nitrogen. These findings highlight the potential of poultry feathers as a valuable, sustainable filler for agricultural bioplastics, contributing to waste valorization and environmentally friendly farming practices.This project has received funding from the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101023306. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the Bio-based Industries Consortium.MDPIEuropean Commission202620262025info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10810/77420reponame:Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigacióninstname:Universidad del País VascoIngléseu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/101023306info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/© 2025 by the authors.Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 3.0 Españaoai:addi.ehu.eus:10810/774202026-06-18T09:23:17Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Impact of Steam-Exploded Feather Incorporation on the Biodegradation Performance of Renewable Biocomposites
title Impact of Steam-Exploded Feather Incorporation on the Biodegradation Performance of Renewable Biocomposites
spellingShingle Impact of Steam-Exploded Feather Incorporation on the Biodegradation Performance of Renewable Biocomposites
Vadillo, Julen
title_short Impact of Steam-Exploded Feather Incorporation on the Biodegradation Performance of Renewable Biocomposites
title_full Impact of Steam-Exploded Feather Incorporation on the Biodegradation Performance of Renewable Biocomposites
title_fullStr Impact of Steam-Exploded Feather Incorporation on the Biodegradation Performance of Renewable Biocomposites
title_full_unstemmed Impact of Steam-Exploded Feather Incorporation on the Biodegradation Performance of Renewable Biocomposites
title_sort Impact of Steam-Exploded Feather Incorporation on the Biodegradation Performance of Renewable Biocomposites
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Vadillo, Julen
Montes, Sarah
Grande, Hans-Jürgen
Beeckman, Eveline
Verstichel, Steven
Almqvist, Jonna
author Vadillo, Julen
author_facet Vadillo, Julen
Montes, Sarah
Grande, Hans-Jürgen
Beeckman, Eveline
Verstichel, Steven
Almqvist, Jonna
author_role author
author2 Montes, Sarah
Grande, Hans-Jürgen
Beeckman, Eveline
Verstichel, Steven
Almqvist, Jonna
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv European Commission
description The increasing environmental concerns regarding plastic waste, especially in agriculture, have driven the search for sustainable alternatives. Agricultural plastics, such as mulching films and greenhouse covers, are heavily reliant on petrochemical-derived materials, which persist in the environment and contribute to long-term pollution. This study explores the use of biodegradable biocomposites made from steam explosion-treated chicken feathers and various polymer matrices to address these issues. Chicken feathers, a waste by-product of the poultry industry, present an excellent biodegradability as a result of the steam explosion treatment and contain nitrogen, potentially enhancing soil fertility. The biocomposites were characterized by thermal stability, mechanical properties, and biodegradability, and ecotoxicity assessments were carried out studying the incorporation of feathers into the soil. Results showed that the incorporation of treated chicken feathers increased the water absorption capacity of the composites, promoting faster disintegration and biodegradation. In particular, biocomposites made with polyhydroxyalkanoates and Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) exhibited a significant increase in degradation rates, from 3–10% in the first month for pure matrices to 40–50% when reinforced with treated feathers. Meanwhile, those made from polylactic acid showed slower degradation. Furthermore, the addition of feathers positively influenced crop growth at low concentrations, acting as a slow-release fertilizer. However, high concentrations of feathers negatively affect plant growth due to excess nitrogen. These findings highlight the potential of poultry feathers as a valuable, sustainable filler for agricultural bioplastics, contributing to waste valorization and environmentally friendly farming practices.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025
2026
2026
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10810/77420
url http://hdl.handle.net/10810/77420
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/101023306
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/
© 2025 by the authors.
Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 3.0 España
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/
© 2025 by the authors.
Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 3.0 España
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv MDPI
publisher.none.fl_str_mv MDPI
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
instname:Universidad del País Vasco
instname_str Universidad del País Vasco
reponame_str Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
collection Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
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