The global rise in temperature is leading to an increasing spread of semi-arid and arid regions and is accompanied by a deterioration of agricultural land. Polymers can help in many ways, but must not become a burden on the environment. In this context, we present here a method by which poultry feathers, representative of keratin waste in general, can be converted into hydrogels for use as a plant growth medium. Naturally cross-linked hydrogels are formed from suitably produced, aqueous keratin solutions during evaporation. The cress germination test showed that the gel contains no toxic substances and adheres strongly to the roots. This protects the plants from drought stress as long as the gel still contains moisture.
M. Brenner, O. Weichold
Autogenous Cross-Linking of Recycled Keratin from Poultry-Feather Waste to Hydrogels for Plant-Growth Media
Polymers 2021, 13, 3581. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13203581
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