A new technique to clean down and feather dust: Composition and resolution of down dust

Abstract

The amount of dust is an important indicator in evaluating the quality of down and feather. However, there has been little published research on dust in down and feather and no report of the generation of dust and its reduction. We extracted dust from down and feather and divided it into water-soluble dust and floating dust based on solubility and then calculated the proportion of the two types of dust. The morphology of floating dust was characterized and a formation mechanism proposed for fine dust. A machine was designed to reduce the dust from down and feather during washing. Floating dust was a major component of down and feather dust, accounting for up to 71.5% (m/m). The main component of floating dust was organic material. The fibrillation and pulverization of down fibers is proposed as the main cause of fine organic dust. An overflow de-dusting and centrifuging integrated device was constructed to replace the traditional centrifugal dehydration machine in the washing of down and feather. The dust level was reduced significantly when using the new machine, especially floating dust. Therefore the dust problem will be better resolved by using this technology in the down-washing process, alleviating the health concerns of workers and helping the industry to become more sustainable.