Extraction of Keratin from Human Hair Waste for Copolymerization with Nitrile Butadiene Rubber

    August 2023 in “ Journal of Student Research ”
    Kevin Lee, Sean Lee, Joshua Whang
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    TLDR Human hair keratin mixed with rubber slightly improves its strength and biodegradability.
    The research paper explores a simple procedure to extract keratin, a fibrous protein, from human hair waste and combine it with Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) to enhance its mechanical properties and biodegradability. The extraction process involved breaking keratin's non-covalent bonds using a grinder and solubilizing it with sodium chloride. The alkaline hydrolysis method was used with different concentrations of NaOH. The recovered keratin was then mixed with dissolved NBR, a common rubber used in various applications. Tests on the mechanical properties of the keratin-filled NBR samples showed that a 10g NaOH/100mL solution yielded the highest amount of keratin and improved the mechanical properties of NBR, albeit modestly. The inclusion of keratin in NBR also improved its biodegradability.
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