Keratin hydrolysates obtained from sheep wool from the leather industry

Abstract

This work presents experiments in making biopolymer-based materials with smart functionalities from renewable resources in the leather industry, applicable in various areas. Keratin hydrolysates were obtained by alkaline hydrolysis in the presence of NaOH and CaO. The physico-chemical characterization, DLS and FT-IR analysis of keratin hydrolysates highlighted the rich content in protein and total nitrogen. The recovery of wool by-products from the leather industry leads to less waste and helps prevent environmental pollution.