Polymer Composites Reinforced With Waste Marble Dust And Fibers From Chicken Feathers As An Alternative Material

Abstract

Feathers are a byproduct of poultry production. Marble waste powder is a solid waste material generated from the marble processing and which is presently mostly discarded in landfills. There is considerable interest in the protection of nature besides that the development of value-added products from these relatively inexpensive materials. This research proposed herein is directed at this goal and focuses on the manufacturing composite materials. Polyester based composite materials reinforced with waste marble dust and fibers recycled from waste chicken feathers were manufactured. Cobalt (1%) as accelerator, ButanoxAkzo M60 as hardener and poly pigment 27 dark brown as a source of pigment were used. Bending properties of composite materials were investigated to determine flexural strength, flexural modulus and hardness as well as some physical features such as density and water absorption. Determination of the chemical properties of chicken feathers was carried out according to AOAC standard. The values were high for manufacturing of the polymer composite with reinforced mixture ratio as 30:70 (wt %) of feather fiber/marble dust.