Eco-friendly Feather Waste Degradation via Termite-Associated Bacteria
Keywords:
Chicken feather, Keratin, Termites, Keratinolytic bacteria, DegradationAbstract
Chicken feathers, a major waste product of the poultry industry, create significant environmental challenges due to their large volume. Converting this waste into useful products is crucial for sustainability. This study highlights the keratinolytic potential of Bacillus subtilis (Bs), Bacillus cereus (Bc), and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), all isolated from termite guts, for the effective degradation of chicken feathers. These bacteria exhibit strong keratinolytic activity, enabling them to break down the resilient keratin protein found in feathers. Each species demonstrated its ability to degrade feathers, with Bs achieving this in eight days, Bc in eleven days, and Bt in thirteen day. However, optimizing conditions, particularly maintaining aerobic environments and pH at 7 ± 0.5, enabled faster degradation using a bacterial consortium. This consortium achieved complete feather degradation in just five days. The resulting feather lysate has potential applications in biofertilizers, animal feed, and pharmaceuticals. This research underscores the efficiency and sustainability of biological methods, particularly bacterial consortia, in feather waste bioconversion, offering an eco-friendly solution for large-scale waste management.
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