Upcycling Waste Hair and Feathers Derived Keratin Into Intact Cortical Cell-Derived Micro-Units via Periodate Oxidation: Applications and Life Cycle Assessment

    February 2026 in “ International Journal of Biological Macromolecules ”
    Fei Liu, Haiquan Wang, Adnan Raza Altaf, Afshan Sohail, Zhiming Zhao, Wen Zhou, Dingding Yao, Peiwen Liu
    TLDR Keratin from waste hair and feathers can be sustainably used to create stable emulsions for industrial applications.
    This study introduces a novel periodate oxidation method for extracting keratin's nano-micro structures from waste hair and feathers, focusing on maintaining the integrity of cortical cell-derived micro-units. The process successfully delaminated fibers into spindle-shaped micro-units with dimensions of 40-80 μm in length and 5-8 μm in width, achieving extraction yields of 31.28 wt% from hair and 20.64 wt% from feathers. These micro-units, along with keratin-derived fragments, effectively stabilized oil-in-water emulsions and prevented droplet aggregation. A life cycle assessment confirmed the environmental sustainability of the keratin-emulsion production process, highlighting the potential for high-quality keratin-based biomaterials in industrial applications.
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