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Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Rooster feathers may also help generate clear vitality, say researchers



Thousands and thousands of tonnes of rooster feathers the meals business incinerates yearly might as a substitute be used to assist produce clear vitality, in response to researchers in Switzerland and Singapore.

Round 40 million tons of rooster feathers are burned yearly as a by-product of agriculture, producing giant quantities of CO2 and poisonous gases reminiscent of sulphur dioxide.

Researchers at ETH Zurich and Nanyang Technological College Singapore introduced on Friday that they’ve “now discovered a option to put these feathers to good use.”

“Utilizing a easy and environmentally pleasant course of,” the researchers discovered they will extract the protein keratin from the feathers and convert it into ultra-​high-quality fibres referred to as amyloid fibrils.

These fibrils can be utilized within the membrane of a gasoline cell, which generates CO2-​free electrical energy from hydrogen and oxygen, releasing solely warmth and water.

On the coronary heart of each gasoline cell lies a semipermeable membrane. It permits protons to go by means of however blocks electrons, forcing them to stream by means of an exterior circuit from the negatively charged anode to the positively charged cathode, producing an electrical present.

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The researchers stated these membranes have “to this point been made utilizing extremely poisonous chemical substances, or ‘eternally chemical substances’, that are costly and don’t break down within the surroundings.”

The brand new membrane the researchers have created “consists primarily of organic keratin, which is environmentally suitable and accessible in giant portions – rooster feathers are 90% keratin.”

The researchers say it takes 100g of feathers to make 1 sq. metre of membrane, which is 80 microns skinny – the diameter of a human hair. They declare this makes their membrane manufactured already as much as “thrice cheaper” than typical membranes.

The brand new membrane has been examined in a gasoline cell that was used to activate an LED lamp, spin a fan and energy a toy automotive.

“I’ve devoted a variety of years to researching alternative ways we are able to use meals waste for renewable vitality techniques,” stated Raffaele Mezzenga, professor of meals and mushy supplies at ETH Zurich.

“Our newest improvement closes a cycle: we’re taking a substance that releases CO2 and poisonous gases when burned and used it in a distinct setting: with our new expertise it not solely replaces poisonous substances, but additionally prevents the discharge of CO2, reducing the general carbon footprint cycle.”

And this isn’t the one potential use for the rooster feathers.

The researchers say their new membrane can even assist break up water, which is a part of the method referred to as electrolysis used to provide hydrogen as a gasoline.

In electrolysis, direct present is handed by means of water, inflicting oxygen to kind on the positively charged anode, whereas hydrogen escapes on the negatively charged cathode. The researchers say that pure water isn’t conductive sufficient for this course of and “usually requires the addition of acids.”

“The brand new membrane, nevertheless, is permeable to protons and thus allows the particle migration between anode and cathode obligatory for environment friendly water splitting, even in pure water.”

The researchers stated they are going to now proceed to work on enhancing their membrane. They’ve additionally utilized for a patent and at the moment are searching for traders to convey it to market.

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