Extraction of Keratin from Chicken Feather and Electrospinning of the Keratin/PLA Blends

Keratins were extracted from chicken feather waste by sulphitolysis method, using various sodium metabisulphite contents. The extracted keratin was characterized by FT-IR and gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) techniques. The extracted keratin with the highest molecular weight (12-20 kDa) was then selected for further study on electrospinning. The keratin/PLA solutions with a variety of blending ratios (10/90 to 90/10 w/w) were prepared before fabrication by electrospinning process. Morphology of the electrospun fiber was examined by using SEM technique, From the results, it was found that keratin/PLA blends containing 90 %wt of keratin could not be electrospun into fiber. By decreasing the keratin content to below 70 %wt, the blend solution can be electrospun into fiber. FT-IR spectrum of the keratin/PLA fiber showed the presence of peaks representing both keratin and PLA. These results confirmed that the fiber composed of both polymeric phases.