Production and Characterization of Human Hair Keratin Bioplastic Films With Novel Plasticizers

    January 2024 in “ Scientific reports (Nature Publishing Group) ”
    A. Shubha, Gupta Sharmita, Lakhani Anita
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    TLDR Human hair was used to make biodegradable plastic films that could be useful for packaging and disposable products.
    The study used keratin from human hair waste to create bioplastic films, or 'kertics', with the help of novel plasticizers such as ethanediol, di-ethylene glycol, tri-ethylene glycol, and glycerol. The films were 190-220 µm thick, had an area of about 4.54 ± 0.2 cm2, and their water uptake varied between 4.8% and 6.3%. X-ray and FTIR studies confirmed the presence of non-degraded keratin. The films were found to be biodegradable in studies involving a keratinophilic fungal strain of A. oryzae. The study suggests these films could be used in the packaging industry, disposable items manufacturing, and biomaterial generation.
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