Formulation of Biodegradable Nursery Pots from Poultry Feather Keratin Cronus, LLC

The U.S. poultry industry produces two billion pounds of feathers each year, which are considered waste biomaterials and currently converted into low value protein for use in animal feed. In Europe, feathers are autoclaved or burned and then buried as a waste material due to regulations prohibiting animal by-products in feed. A more appropriate use for feathers is to utilize their unique structural properties as strong, lightweight fiber. Feathers are made of the protein keratin, which can be used to enhance the strength and modulus of polymers. The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), a division of the USDA, has developed several processes for feathers, each process dependent upon the market application. The production and processing of chickens is the number one agricultural activity of Maryland?s Eastern Shore. Not only does the sale of chicken products generate direct value to the regional economy, chickens consume the majority of crops grown in the region as feed. A viable poultry industry is vital to the region?s economy. The processing of chickens generates many by-products besides the various meat options; creating value for these by-products improves the bottom line of the industry. One of the major by-products is feathers; in the Delmarva region, approximately 580,000,000 chickens are processed annually, producing nearly 155 million pounds of feathers. Currently, the primary use of feathers in this region is as a source of protein for animal feed, while in other areas feathers must be disposed of in landfills. Developing alternative uses and markets for feathers may be critical to the poultry industry as it is anticipated that the Food and Drug Administration may issue rules restricting their use as an ingredient in chicken feed similar to actions taken for cattle relative to mad cow disease. The biodegradable pots market survey is based on a specific need of the nursery industry. A major environmental issue currently facing the $11.2 Billion nursery and floriculture industry is the recycling and disposal of plastics, especially nursery containers, being used in the production of flowers and ornamental plants. Because of the resins used and the formulations in the production of nursery pots, it is difficult to put them into the current plastics recycling stream. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, more than 29 million tons of non-biodegradable plastic waste ends up in landfills each year. A 2004 study by Penn State University?s College of Agricultural Science estimates that 320 million pounds of plastic are used to produce nursery pots, cell packs, and flats each year. There are several companies that produce biodegradable pots out of a variety of materials from wood to plant starch to cow manure. A Phase I SBIR completed in January, 2010, by Cronus, LLC, proved the feasibility of producing feather keratin based biodegradable plastic pots. The partners on this project were the USDA Beltsville Agriculture Research Center (formulations), Chesapeake Microproducts (feather processing); and the Horticultural Research Institute (market analysis).