In this research, keratin from chicken feathers was used to size polyester and polyester/cotton yarns. Effects of size preparation conditions and amount of size (add-on, %) on the tensile properties and abrasion resistance of rovings and yarns were studied. Biodegradability of keratin solutions in activated sludge and the ability of keratin to be desized were also investigated. Commercially available PVA based sizing agents were used to evaluate the performance of keratin as sizing agent.
negligible