Keratin is one of the most abundant natural polymers with potential application in various fields but is usually seen discarded as waste generated from poultry farms along roadsides and landfills. These are indeed the cheapest source of keratin protein which could be used for various applications. Owing to the structural properties, keratinous materials are now being exploited in wastewater treatment systems as adsorbents. The rich amino acid content having hydroxyl, carboxyl and amino groups has been found to be beneficial in removing contaminants from waste waters like heavy metals and dyes. Research based on this idea has received peak attention to a point where formulations of different adsorbent materials like nanofibre, biofilms and biocomposite from keratinous raw materials are now available for commercial use. This review summarises the application of keratin as an efficient adsorbent for waste water treatment providing an insight into its structure, forms of keratin used for treatments and mechanism of adsorption of different components in waste water.
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