Attic Insulation Chicken Feathers

Birds survive in sub zero weather by fluffing their feathers creating layers of air and feathers.

Attic insulation chicken feathers. After the lightbulb moment masters student elena dieckmann ordered 10kg of chicken feathers and began to experiment using them as insulation in the home. Physical and morphological structure of chicken feathers keratin biofiber in natural chemically and thermally modified forms 888. Aeropowder is an environmentally friendly insulation material made using old chicken feathers. A b figure 3.

Seen here are the feathers of a brown pelican. Georgia tech is investigating the development of composite materials from chicken feathers for application in buildings including acoustic ceiling tiles moisture resistant drywall and insulation. Cleaned feathers were mechanically worked to separate fibrous material from the quills and ultimately classified into two components. In the age of bio design it s important to rethink the way we use waste.

Initially the team at aeropowder experimented with using finely ground chicken feathers as insulation. A α helix and b β pleated sheet structure 5. It s obvious now that insulation would make sense because the feathers were air trapping the result of their research is a way to replace some of the polyurethane foam contained in boards. The idea quickly progressed and now alongside fellow students ioannis tzouganatos and ryan robinson they have come up with the perfect mix of chicken feathers and foam which is sound absorbent lightweight water repulsive flame retardant and pest resistant.

In its current form the company s product more closely resembles a solid brick of processed feathers. One type of green insulation that you won t find in the united states yet is called industrial hemp which is a type of low narcotic hemp. In particular the poultry industry generates a large amount of feather waste that would otherwise go unused. Raw chicken feathers directly from a processing plant were washed with detergent and dried.

Feathers make up 5 of a chicken s bodyweight and 80 chickens can produce about 22 pounds of raw material dieckman and robinson estimate. A fibrous material suitable for further textile processing and a residue containing large feathers and pieces of quill. Just a fraction of an inch of this insulation can keep a bird s body temperature at 104 degrees even in freezing weather. It s very lightweight and also less flammable than some other synthetic insulation materials.