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 Chicken
feathers used to remove heavy metals from water
Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology
Researchers at the University
of Nevada Reno have developed a technique to separate
heavy metals such as copper, lead and mercury from
water, using keratin fibres extracted from chicken
feathers. The technique has advantages over other
biosorbents for the purification of industrial wastewater
and drinking water, as it is a cheap resource, which
is often disposed of as waste from other processes.
‘The abundant bioresource,
chicken feather fiber, is a boon to the water filtration
industry owing to its nano-porous network and its
attractive surface properties,’ says lead researcher
Piyush Kar.
Use of keratin fiber for separation
of heavy metals from water, P Kar, M Misra, Journal
of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, DOI:10.1002/jctb.1132,
(Available in Earlyview).
 Cheap,
clean battery production
Polymer International
Scientists in China have developed a cleaner, cost
effective method for the production of polymer electrolytes.
The new polymer-electrolyte, used to make lithium
secondary batteries, was prepared by a new method
called emulsion polymerisation. It can eliminate pollution
by using water instead of organic solvents in the
production process.
Microporous polyurethane/acrylate gel polymer
electrolyte obtained by emulsion polymerisation,
T Ren, J Ren, X Huang, X Tang, Polymer International,
(In Press).
 Food
and agriculture experts have their say
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
View comments from experts in the fields of food
and agriculture.Visit the JSFA’s homepage
to gain free access to the Perspectives section with
comments on food safety, the public perception of
risk, agriculture and the environment, and developments
in genomic research.
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