%0 Journal Article
%T Metabolism of Chicken Feathers and Concomitant Electricity Generation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa by Employing Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC)
%A Venkatesh Chaturvedi
%A Pradeep Verma
%J Journal of Waste Management
%D 2014
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2014/928618
%X Keratinolytic potential of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain SDS3 has been evaluated for the metabolism of chicken feathers. Results indicated that strain SDS3 showed complete metabolism of 0.1 and 0.5% (w/v) chicken feathers in minimal medium. Feathers were metabolized up to 80% at 1% (w/v) concentration. Maximum soluble protein ( £¿¦Ìg/mL) and keratinase ( £¿U/mL) were observed in the presence of 1% chicken feathers after five days of incubation. The effect of carbon and nitrogen sources showed that feather degradation was stimulated by complex carbon/nitrogen sources such as starch, malt extract, tryptone, and beef extract and was inhibited by simple carbon and nitrogen sources. Electricity production by employing chicken feathers as a substrate in microbial fuel cell (MFC) was evaluated. It was observed that maximum voltage corresponding to 141£¿mV was observed after 14 days of incubation. Maximum power density of 1206.78£¿mW/m2 and maximum current density of 8.6£¿mA/m2 were observed. The results clearly indicate that chicken feathers can be successfully employed as a cheap substrate for electricity production in MFC. This is the first report showing employment of chicken feathers as substrate in MFC. 1. Introduction Feathers constitute the major bulk of biological waste generated by local butchers and poultry processing industries in India [1]. According to a recent report of USDA, annual consumption of poultry in India was 2.3 million tons in 2010 and it is expected to increase at a tremendous rate. Due to poor management of waste, the by-products of poultry industry (especially feathers) have become one of the major pollutants due to their recalcitrant nature [1, 2]. About 90% of feathers consist of keratin, which is a fibrous and insoluble structural protein consisting of ¦Â-helical coils joint together by disulfide linkages [3]. This structural feature enables it to resist adverse environmental conditions and degradation by proteases [4]. Therefore, feathers are considered as a biological waste and cause serious environmental problems. However, feathers are considered a good source of essential amino acids [5] but due to their stable structure, feathers cannot be employed as a source of proteins and free amino acids in their native form and requires processing to release amino acids and peptides [6]. The most commonly used method for feather disposal is incineration [7] and degradation by chemical methods [8]. These methods cause significant reduction in amino acid content of feathers and reduce the overall quality of proteins [7]. Biodegradation of
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jwm/2014/928618/