Brian R. George

Keratin Fiber Nonwovens for Erosion Control

Turkey feather fibers were characterized by measuring the linear density, tenacity at break, modulus, and strain at break of both the plumulaceous and pennaceous fibers. Biodegradable nonwoven fabrics with biodegradable binders were fabricated in various basis weights from turkey feather fibers. The fabrics were characterized in ma-chine and cross directions for maximum load and elongation. Absorptive capacity and light transmission were also measured. The fabrics were successfully shown to prevent soil erosion.

Production and Characterization of Yarns and Fabrics Utilizing Turkey Feather Fibers

Turkey feather fibers were characterized and then converted into products such as yarn and nonwoven fabrics for a study into the feasibility of their use as textile products. Yarn containing blends of nylon and up to thirty percent turkey feather fibers were spun by combining novel techniques with commercial yarn spinning machinery. These yarns were tested for determination of their mechanical properties. As the percentage of turkey feather fibers increased, the tenacity and elongation of the yarns decreased while the modulus increased. These yarns were knitted into fabrics to determine their insulating properties. As the percentage of turkey feather fibers increased the insulating capabilities of the fabrics also increased. Recent research has focused on producing nonwoven fabrics containing turkey feather fibers utilizing various production methods for use as erosion control fabrics.

Investigation Into the Utilization of Peanut Fibers in Nonwovens

Peanuts are one of the leading food crops produced in the United States today. One of the problems of peanut production is disposal of the shells, or hulls, of the peanut, which are generally landfilled. The current research focused on obtaining fibers from the shells, characterizing them, and creating nonwoven fabrics containing these fibers, which were also characterized. The fibers obtained ranged in length from 0.6 cm to 6.3 cm, and were generally stiff. Wet laid nonwovens were produced and a variety of bonding methods such as needlepunching and latex bonding were performed. Latex bonding gave the best results, and the resulting fabrics were characterized in terms of strength, moisture, and light penetration, and thermal insulation capability. The fabrics had similar light and moisture penetration properties as some commercially available erosion control fabrics and thus may be suitable for this purpose. The fabrics also retained some heat, and may be suitable for insulation purpose.© 2003 ASME

Utilization of Turkey Feather Fibers in Erosion Control Materials

Currently, between two and four billion pounds of feathers are produced annually by the poultry processing industry. These feathers are usually converted to animal feed in an attempt to recycle it rather than dispose of them in landfills. However, this method can result in diseases being passed along to the ingestors of this feather meal. Until recently there was no method of removing the quill from feather, but a method of effectively stripping the feather fibers from the quill without damaging the fibers has been patented, and as a result research is being conducted to determine uses for these fibers. Current research has focused on creating nonwoven latex bonded fabrics containing turkey feather fibers for utilization as erosion control fabrics. These fabrics have been compared with currently available erosion control fabrics to determine their suitability for this particular purpose.Copyright