Elaboración de bioplástico de queratina obtenida de residuos de plumas de aves de corral y quitosano

The present project consisted of the elaboration of biodegradable plastic from the mixture of commercial chitosan and bird keratin. Keratin was obtained from poultry feather residues, on a laboratory scale, by means of sodium sulphide, sodium metabisulfite and enzymatic hydrolysis treatments at a percentage of 0.075 percent of KYZYME VP enzyme. For the selection of biofilms, 15 different mixtures of keratin and chitosan were used with their glycerin as their plasticizing agent. Subsequently, mechanical physical tensile tests were performed to test the tensile strength of the nine of the selected biofilms, in accordance with ASTM D882 10. Finally, two biodegradability tests were carried out, one through composting, which analyzed the weight loss for 15 days; and another using Bacillus sp. measuring the absorbance and turbidity at 72, 112, 144 and 168 hours, in addition, the weight loss of the samples at 168 hours of experimentation was determined. The biofilm with better physical mechanical properties of breakage factor and tensile strength, in a mixture of chitosan and keratin was the A3B3C3 of 10 percent keratin, 90 percent chitosan with an aggregate of 17 percent glycerin, however, when used 100 percent chitosan the film showed better traction. The biodegradation of this film was 58.01 percent in 15 days of composting and a weight loss of 0.333 g in the microbial biodegradation of Bacillus sp, the composting process being better degraded on the degradation of microorganisms in test tubes. The most efficient process for the degradation of biodegradable plastic was the A2B2C3 treatment, with 81.17 percent of weight loss in composting while in microbial biodegradation the treatment with the greatest weight loss of 0.6333 gr and a turbidity of 567.67 was the A2B2C2. It is concluded that keratin considerably lowers the physical-mechanical properties of the film in the proposed treatments, because these substances have 2 a low compatibility factor by adding their considerable pH difference when they are in solution. ...