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Award-winning professor creates cow-less leather with chicken feathers
January 29, 2014
Award-winning professor creates cow-less leather with chicken feathers
Professor Richard Wool, a 2013 US Environmental Protection Agency awardee, has devised a leather substitute out of chicken feathers, creating a manufacturing method that uses less energy and water.
A professor at the University of Delaware, he developed a new type of material called Eco-leather, made from a combination of bio-based materials like discarded chicken feathers, flax, and vegetable oils, that is processed using techniques from aerospace engineers. The result is not only a pair of shoes with breathable leather and sturdy soles, but also a manufacturing method that is unlike the usual petroleum-based processes. Traditional leather making or shoe-making uses a significant amount of water and energy, and causes pollution with its hazardous waste.
Wool’s eco-leather and other bio-based materials can be applied to various industries other than footwear, according to the Affordable Composites from Renewable Sources (ACRES) program at the University. The research group, focused primarily on the use of soybean triglycerides as raw materials, noted that potential applications for these eco-materials include the automotive industry, farm machinery, construction industry, and the defense sector.
Read more at Eco-Business.
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