The new material would be resistant to the region's armies of termites, and could also solve a major environment problem in the
The research done by University of the Philippines Los Baños professor Menandro Acda, which is funded by the Ford Conservation and Environmental Grants program, is being heralded as economically and environmentally sound.
In an interview with AFP, Acda said the material, made of compressed cement and chicken feathers, could be widely used for housing, replacing boards now made with wood chips, which are easily ruined by hungry insects.
The composite boards are "resistant to insect infestation such as termites because the feathers are inedible," Acda said.
"They are also not as flammable or combustible as conventional cement and wood-fibre composite boards," he added.
Although more research needs to be done, Acda said the feather boards could be used for paneling, ceilings and as insulation but not for weight-bearing building components like walls or pillars.
The researcher said his work would also solve the significant problem of disposing of the 2.4 million tons of feathers produced each year by the
"Conventional waste disposal methods, when applied to chicken feathers, are problematic," he said, referring to burning, burial or recycling the feathers for use in low-quality animal feeds.
"Incineration releases greenhouse gases and the feathers take up a lot of space in landfills and take a long time to decay because of the keratin protein that make up the feathers," Acda noted.
"There is also the fear of bird flu, which makes converting chicken feathers into animal feeds undesirable."
Acda is hoping to perfect his feather board by year's end, at which point he will publish his findings.
"If the study results are good, then we will apply for a patent and publish the study," he said.
"The next step would be to form a partnership with a company that can maximise this technology -- perhaps (local food giant) San Miguel Corp. which has Purefoods as a subsidiary company and, through Purefoods, operates large poultry farms nationwide," he said.
The president of Ford Motor Company
"Our support for this endeavour underscores our commitment to finding sustainable solutions in protecting and maintaining our environment," he said.
Sources: http://business.inquirer.net/money/breakingnews/view/20080803-152383/Feathers-are-future-of-Asia-construction--Filipino-scientist
4 comments:
I'm glad that discoveries like this are made. At times like this, where our environment is slowly degrading and the prices of construction materials are soaring, discoveries such as this should be made in order to solve the problems our country faces.
This is a good discovery that could lessen the risks of construction destruction. The only problem with this is before we can really use it, it should be tested for validity. If it really is effective.
The results should show that if we use this, insects or termites will really not be able to penetrate to the building blocks and also, it should show that when we use this, the construction will really be sturdy and lives will not be put in danger.
Never the less, this discovery is very advantageous to many people and this can really help the improvement of construction worldwide.
Chicken feathers have a new use! That's very much good to know. There would be less destruction due to termites, and could also be in a way, environment friendly. I hope that they could perfect this and be effectively used in our society.
We should have those replace construction materials, makes things cheaper and less prone to infestations. Though it states that it still has to be further tested if it would last the years that current cement wood composites would. It still is an ingenious solution to the 2.4million tons of chicken feathers, now they have a use.
Post a Comment