Hair Waste Research Articles

Keratin nanoparticles obtained from human hair for removal of crystal violet from aqueous solution: Optimized by Taguchi method

Developing the cheap but superior adsorbents is of importance for environmental applications. In this paper, the Taguchi experimental design was applied to establish the optimum condition for the removal of crystal violet (CV) dye using keratin nanoparticles obtained from human hair waste. The average diameter of keratin particles was found about 63.7 nm, using DLS. Effective factors on the removal of CV dye including pH, adsorbent dose, temperature and contact time were considered using an L16 orthogonal array. The optimum condition was found to be pH = 9, adsorbent dose = 0.004 g, temperature = 25 °C and contact time = 10 h in the studied range for different parameters. ANOVA results indicated that the pH has the highest contribution percentage (75.97%) on the adsorption process. Moreover, the equilibrium data were well described by Freundlich Isotherm, indicating a multilayer adsorption process with a maximum adsorption capacity of 555.56 mg/g through an endothermic and spontaneous adsorption process that could be used for up to 5 cycles of adsorption process. The kinetic adsorption data were evaluated by different kinetic models, where the data followed a pseudo-second-order model with three steps of diffusion indicated by the intra-particle diffusion model. The obtained results clearly show the high potential of human hair-obtained keratin nanoparticles for removal of cationic dyes from wastewater.

Natural melanin/TiO2 hybrids for simultaneous removal of dyes and heavy metal ions under visible light

Melanin has attracted researchers’ attention in recent years due to its intriguing properties and various applications in different fields. Here, we fabricated a highly efficient photocatalytic material through utilizing the natural melanin (NM) isolated from textile scraps like yak hair wastes. A simple one-step process was employed to synthesize titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles on the surface of NM. The synthesized NM/TiO2 hybrids exhibited prominent photocatalytic activity for the simultaneous removal of methyl orange (MO) and hexavalent chromium ions (Cr (VI)) under visible light irradiations, which constitute ∼45 % of the solar light. Our results revealed that NM served as a base material with abundant catechol groups to form C-O-Ti bonds with TiO2 nanoparticles, which narrowed the band gap and broadened the light response of the hybrids. The working mechanism of NM/TiO2 hybrids for the simultaneous removal of dyes (MO) and heavy metal ions (Cr (VI)) was thoroughly explored and proposed. This work highlighted the potential of the NM/TiO2 hybrids for textile dyeing effluent treatment with more efficient utilization of solar spectrum. Our work also opens a pathway for the design of advanced NM-based functional materials from various NM-enriched wastes such as human hair wastes, squid ink, etc.

Comparative analysis of the chemical treatments used in keratin extraction from red sheep’s hair and the cell viability evaluations of this keratin for tissue engineering applications

Hair waste is one of the solid substances rejected by the leather industry. This waste finds its way into the surroundings causing serious environmental pollution. This hair waste may be utilized for effective extraction of keratin, thereby generating value-added products with numerous applications. Thus we focusing on utilizing red sheep’s hair waste for extracting keratin by the application of different chemical treatments such as sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide, mercaptoethanol, cysteine, sodium metabisulfite with urea (SMB), and SMB with SDS (SMBS). CD spectrum and FTIR results of the keratin samples indicated a predominance of the helical conformation along with β sheets. SDS-PAGE confirmed the molecular weight of the keratin samples to be in the range of 40–60 kDa. DSC and TGA analysis exhibited the extracted keratin to have a higher denaturation temperature (>200 °C) and thermal stability. The keratin samples obtained using varied chemical treatments were compared in terms of yield, protein content, and cost-effectiveness, and the sample obtained using SMBS was preferred for in vitro studies. It is indicated that keratin extracted using SMBS effectively involved for fibroblast cell growth. Thus, we suggest that these keratin could produce biomaterials that can serve as a valuable material for biomedical applications.

Synthesis and characterization of activated carbon produced from waste human hair mass using chemical activation

In this study, hair waste was converted into active carbon for the first time and its characteristics were analyzed. As chemical activation tool, zinc chloride (ZnCl2) was impregnated and then carbonized under different temperatures (250–300 °C). Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images showed an increase in the pore density, radius and volume of pores. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) showed that the samples had an amorphous structure. In Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscope analysis, C=C and N–H vibrations observed in 1515–1520 cm−1 wave number of protein molecules were found to disappear with the increase in temperature. With Raman spectroscopy, the behaviors of D peak at 1344 cm−1 wave number and G peak at 1566 cm−1 wave number expressing structure layout in carbonized structures were analyzed depending on the temperatures. Between these intensities, (ID/IG) the rate was found to differ in direct proportion to temperature. XRD spectrums showed that the samples are converted into a more irregular crystal structure. All these results implied that the waste hair mass could be used as an adsorbant material.

Optimizing Steam Duration of Human Hair Waste to improve Soil Quality and The Growth of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) Plants

Optimizing Steam Duration of Human Hair Waste to improve Soil Quality and The Growth of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) Plants

Waste-Hair-Derived Natural Melanin/TiO2 Hybrids as Highly Efficient and Stable UV-Shielding Fillers for Polyurethane Films

Melanin is a ubiquitous natural pigment that protects living organisms from intense sunlight. Although synthetic melanin with different sizes and morphologies has been developed for UV-shielding polymers, studies can rarely be found regarding their natural counterparts. In this study, the natural melanin (NM) granules were isolated from conventional textile scraps such as yak and alpaca hair wastes and well characterized. This was followed by integrating them with TiO2 nanoparticles through hydrogen bonding using a simple physical mixing method, and the resultant NM/TiO2 hybrids were embedded in polyurethane (PU) films. Our results suggested that the PU films containing 2.5 wt % NM/TiO2 hybrids possessed highly efficient UV-shielding ability, improved photostability, and well-maintained transparency. The ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) values of the 2.5 wt %-NM/TiO2/PU composite films were approximately four times higher than those of the 2.5 wt %-TiO2/PU composite films. Moreover, although the 2.5 wt %-NM/TiO2/PU and 1.25 wt %-NM/PU composite films shared a similar UPF value, the transmittance at 550 nm of 2.5 wt %-NM/TiO2/PU was ∼2.5 times higher. Most importantly, the photoinduced chemiluminescence tests proved the excellent photostability of the NM/TiO2/PU composite films. Owing to the abundant natural source of NM, the commercial availability of TiO2, as well as the simple preparation protocol of the NM/TiO2 hybrids, this work highlights the potential of hair-derived NM-based UV-shielding fillers for various polymeric materials.

Pemanfaatan Limbah Rambut Manusia sebagai Media Tanam Hidroponik Substrat pada Kailan

<p style="text-align: justify;">This study aims to examine the use of human hair waste as a substrate hydroponic media in enhancing scientific innovation and agricultural development. This research was conducted in a greenhouse, Faculty of Agriculture, Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta, from July 2018 to October 2018. This experimental using a completely randomized design (CRD) method with one treatment factor and 14 levels repeated 4 times. The treatment includes washing hair waste (water, NaOH and detergent) and a combination of hair waste: husk charcoal (1: 3; 1: 2 and 3: 1). In this study, the control treatment used sand media. Observation variables observed were leaf area index, number of leaves, plant height, stem diameter, root length, root weight, root volume, fresh weight and dry weight of plants. Data acquisition was analyzed by analysis of variance and if there were significant differences, further testing was carried out with Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at the level of 5%. The results showed that human hair waste was less optimal as an alternative medium for hydroponic substrate systems. Treatment of hair waste: combination of 1: 3 husk charcoal in all washings gives the highest average yield on all observation variables. In all washing treatments (Water, NaOH and detergent) the highest average yield was dominated by washing using detergent ie leaf area index (55.35 cm2), root volume (1.19 ml), fresh weight (22.03 g) and dry weight (2.83 g).</p>

Human Scalp Hair (HSH) Waste as an Alternative for Reducing Invasive Activity of Wild Hog: A Preliminary Study

The weaknesses in the human hair waste management system has brought many environmental problems that are rarely taken into account. In most of rural areas, this waste is still being used by farmers to protect their plantation from wild hog attacks. However, this traditional practice is seem unpopular and has little exposure. Study in the past related to this waste in Malaysia is still far behind compared to other countries. Moreover, the past practices of this waste as repellent did not highlight the prior procedure and their effectiveness as pest controller to control invasive activity of wild hog. This study aims to briefly discuss on the conflict of human and wild hog, past mitigation practices, potential usage of hair waste as temporary repellent and to share the result of 5 days pilot study through field trial conducted in small orchard in Muar. In this study, fermented corn bait has been applied at the study area to increase the activities and probability of visitation of wild hog. Four (4) samples were placed in the private orchard namely (A) 5kg whole kernel corn; (B) 5kg whole kernel corn mixed with 20g of hair; (C) 5kg whole kernel corn mixed with 40g hair; and (D) 5kg whole kernel corn mixed with 60g hair. The result during feeding test is observed and analysed. Through this pilot study, it indicates the potential of hair waste application as a temporary wild hog repellent.

Graphitic, Porous, and Multiheteroatom Codoped Carbon Microtubes Made from Hair Waste: A Superb and Sustained Anode Substitute for Li-Ion Batteries

Turning household wastes into useful battery anodes is always a rational way to retard the graphite resources exhaustion and prevent deterioration of the living environment. Although great efforts have been devoted, nearly all evolved carbons are intrinsically amorphous and dense, which is adverse to ions diffusions, electrons transfer, and actives utilization for battery usage. Herein, by selecting common hair waste as the example material, we propose a smart catalytic engineering protocol to make graphitic, porous, and multiheteroatom co-doped carbon microtube anodes for sustained Li-ion batteries. The Ni-based nanofilm matrix evenly immobilized on all hair surface plays a key role in the rapid graphitization of hair and the formation of deep pores. Such evolved carbons with unique functionalized properties can well make up for the shortcomings of hair-carbonized products, exhibiting far superior anodic behaviors on reversible capacity/actives utilization efficiency, cyclic stability/endurance (no capac...

Extraction of Keratin from Rabbit Hair by a Deep Eutectic Solvent and Its Characterization

Keratin from a variety of sources is one of the most abundant biopolymers. In livestock and textile industries, a large amount of rabbit hair waste is produced every year, and therefore it is of great significance to extract keratin from waste rabbit hair in terms of the treatment and utilization of wastes. In this study, a novel, eco-friendly and benign choline chloride/oxalic acid deep eutectic solvent at a molar ratio of 1:2 was applied to dissolve waste rabbit hair, and after dissolution keratin was separated by dialysis, filtration, and freeze-drying. The dissolution temperature effect was discussed, and the resulting keratin powder was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, protein electrophoresis, thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry, and amino acid analysis. During the dissolution process, the α-helix structure of rabbit hair was deconstructed, and the disulfide bond linkages were broken. The solubility of rabbit hair was significantly enhanced by increasing dissolution temperature, and reached 88% at 120 °C. The keratin produced by dissolving at 120 °C displayed flaky powders after freeze-drying, and had a molecular weight ranging from 3.8 to 5.8 kDa with a high proportion of serine, glutamic acid, cysteine, leucine, and arginine. Such features of molecular weight and amino acid distribution provide more choices for the diverse applications of keratin materials.

Comparative effectiveness of natural by-products and synthetic sorbents in oil spill booms

Sorbent booms are considered a ‘first line of defence’ technology used for containing and minimizing the impacts of crude oil spills. Booms containing human hair waste as sorbent were compared to other natural sorbents, including cotton by-product, recycled cellulose, as well as booms containing synthetic polypropylene, in order to evaluate their effectiveness in adsorbing petroleum crude oil pollution, remaining buoyant, and adsorbing seawater. A series of oceanic mesocosm experiments were used to simulate oil spill pollution events and to test sorbent effectiveness. Hair by-product was found to be significantly better at adsorbing crude oil on average (i.e. 0.84 g of crude oil per 1 g of sorbent) than all other materials, although it had wider variation in adsorbency likely associated with the non-homogeneous nature of mixed human hair. Hair sorbent was also observed to be less naturally buoyant than other materials, potentially due to low surface tension or increased porosity.

Cationization of Cotton Using Extracted Keratin from Human Cut Hair Waste for Salt Free Dyeing With Reactive Dye

Cationization of Cotton Using Extracted Keratin from Human Cut Hair Waste for Salt Free Dyeing With Reactive Dye

A Life Cycle Assessment on the Dehairing of Rawhides: Chemical Treatment versus Enzymatic Recovery through Solid State Fermentation

SummaryThe leather industry needs to switch from the traditional chemically based dehairing process to an environmentally friendly one so that the overall burdens to the environment are reduced. The primary goal of the work was thus to compare the chemical leather dehairing process to an enzymatically based one using the enzymes that are extracted after the application of solid state fermentation (SSF) on hair wastes generated after dehairing. The environmental burdens of the dehairing stage were determined using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach by comparing the two aforementioned management scenarios. The first scenario was the commonly used technology in which hair is removed via a chemical process and then composted in open piles. This scenario included two subscenarios where hair waste is either incinerated or landfilled. In the second scenario, the proteolytic enzymes extracted during the SSF of the residual hair are used to dehair the new rawhides instead of chemicals. Industrial and laboratory data were combined with international databases using the SimaPro 8.0 LCA software to make comparisons. The environmental impacts associated with the enzymatic dehairing were significantly lower than the ones associated to the conventional chemical dehairing process. This difference is attributed to the impacts associated with the original production of the chemicals and to the electricity consumed in the conventional method. A sensitivity analysis revealed that the results are affected by the amounts of chemicals used during dehairing.

Improved microbial degradation of animal hair waste from leather industry using Brevibacterium luteolum (MTCC 5982)

Abstract Hair waste is one of the solid wastes generated from leather industry. Degradation of hair effectively in short duration is an important requirement for producing value added products from this solid waste. A bacterial strain, Brevibacterium luteolum MTCC 5982 was identified for degradation of hair. The keratinase activity of the culture was 102 U/ml at 72 h, bringing about 80%degree of hydrolysis of hair. The enzyme exhibited optimum activity at pH 10.0 and at 30°C. Scanning electron micrographic studies showed the degradation of hair with disintegration of cuticle followed by cortex and medulla. Complete disappearance the peak of 2923.12 cm−1 assignable to amide N H stretch in the FT-IR spectrum indicates the breaking down of amide linkage of the keratin in 72 h. The spectra obtained from 13C NMR further confirmed the degradation of goat hair. The results suggest that the novel strain used for the biodegradation of tannery hair waste was found to be effective in degrading the hair waste.

Formation and Characterization of Hollow Microtubes by Thermal Treatment of Human Hair

In this study, hollow microtubes were prepared via stepwise thermal treatment of human hair waste in the middle temperature range from 200 to 450 °C. The effect of the treatment temperature on the ...

Pre-incubation in soil improves the nitrogen fertiliser value of hair waste.

Global generation of human hair waste and its disposal at landfills could contribute to the leaching of nitrates into ground water. High concentrations of nitrogen (N) and other elements suggest that the waste could be a source of plant nutrients and differences in ethnic hair types could affect nutrient release and fertiliser value. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of hair type, as an N source, and pre-incubation time on dry-matter yield, nutrient uptake by spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) and residual soil nutrients. Salons in Pietermaritzburg provided bulk African and Caucasian hair waste, without distinguishing age, sex, health status or livelihood of the individuals. The hair waste was analysed for elemental composition. A pot experiment was set up under glasshouse conditions. The hair waste was incorporated (400kgNha-1) into a loamy oxisol and pre-incubated for 0, 28, 56 and 84days before planting spinach. Potassium (K) and phosphorus (P) were corrected to the same level for all treatments. Spinach seedlings were then cultivated for 6weeks. Shoot dry-matter and the uptake of all nutrients, except P, were increased by the pre-incubation of hair. African hair pre-incubated for 28days resulted in greater dry-matter, N, K, Mn and S uptake than Caucasian hair. Increasing pre-incubation resulted in a decline in the residual soil pH and exchangeable K. The findings suggested that pre-incubation improves the N fertiliser value of hair and that African hair has greater value than Caucasian hair when pre-incubated for a short period.

The use of human hair in green technology to reduce human-wild hog conflict from the agricultural perspective

Human scalp hair (HSH) waste has often dumped without undergoing any proper treatment or even being reused. Past studies related to this waste in Malaysia is still not as wide as in others countries. However, in some rural areas, this waste is still used by farmers as pest controller to protect plantation from wild hog attacks. Unfortunately, the past practices does not expose their effectiveness as repellent. This study briefly discuss on the human-wild hog conflict, current practices used to control the invasive activity and to share the result of using HSH as repellent to help farmer of small orchid in Muar, Johor. In this pilot study, HSH were washed using the non-ionic detergent-acetone method as prior treatment to remove all impurities that might stick on them. In order to increase the probability of visitation, fermented corn bait has been used to lure the wild hog into the target area. Four (4) samples (A) 5kg whole corn; (B) 5kg whole corn mixed with 20g HSH; (C) 5kg whole corn mixed with 40g HSH; and (D) 5kg whole corn mixed with 60g HSH have been set on the private orchid and observed. The 5-day test indicates the potential of HSH as temporary wild hog repellent.

Utilization of tannery solid waste as an alternative biosorbent for acid dyes in wastewater treatment

In this work the cattle hair waste (CHW), a solid waste that is generated in the tannery, was tested as an alternative new biosorbent of acid dyes, in order to add value to this waste that was discarded and suggesting a life cycle extension for this material from leather processing. Commercially activated carbon (CAC) was used to compare the sorption capacity of CHW. The sorption experiments were performed in laboratory scale with aqueous dye solutions of Acid Blue 161 (AB-161) and Acid Black 210 (AB-210) and were carried out under varying operational parameters including initial pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, dye concentration and temperature. For the adsorption of the AB-161 and AB-210 dyes, the best kinetic model was described by general order kinetic. Liu isotherm model was well fitted with tested temperatures for AB-161 and AB-210 using CHW adsorbent. The maximum amounts of AB-161 dye adsorbed with CHW adsorbent were 104.78 (323K) and 26.29mgg−1 (303K) for AB-210. From the thermodynamic parameters for the adsorption of AB-161 and AB-210 with CHW and CAC indicated a not spontaneous endothermic process, with a physical reaction that dyes are arranged in orderly manner in the solid phase, resulting in a reduction in the disturbance of system.

Solid-state fermentation and composting as alternatives to treat hair waste: A life-cycle assessment comparative approach.

One of the wastes associated with leather production in tannery industries is the hair residue generated during the dehairing process. Hair wastes are mainly dumped or managed through composting but recent studies propose the treatment of hair wastes through solid-state fermentation (SSF) to obtain proteases and compost. These enzymes are suitable for its use in an enzymatic dehairing process, as an alternative to the current chemical dehairing process. In the present work, two different scenarios for the valorization of the hair waste are proposed and assessed by means of life-cycle assessment: composting and SSF for protease production. Detailed data on hair waste composting and on SSF protease production are gathered from previous studies performed by our research group and from a literature survey. Background inventory data are mainly based on Ecoinvent version 3 from software SimaPro® 8. The main aim of this study was to identify which process results in the highest environmental impact. The SSF process was found to have lower environmental impacts than composting, due to the fact that the enzyme use in the dehairing process prevents the use of chemicals traditionally used in the dehairing process. This permits to reformulate an industrial process from the classical approach of waste management to a novel alternative based on circular economy.

Study on effective extraction of keratin from human hair wastes

ABSTRACTThe aim of this study is to extract keratin from human hair waste by alkali-reduction method. The properties of keratin were analyzed by the tests of SEM and FTIR. The result shows that the extraction rate of keratin was 75.3%. Furthermore, FTIR shows that the molecular structure of keratin was transformed from α–helix to β–sheet in the process of extraction.