Mini-Review Volume 1- Issue 1 - October 2017 DOI: 10.19080/CTFTTE.2017.01.555554 Curr Trends Fashion Technol Textile Eng Copyright © All rights are reserved by Fatemeh Dadashian Production of Valuable Nanoparticles from Waste Protein Fibres Fatemeh Dadashian 1,2 * and Niloofar Eslahi 3 1 Department of Textile Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran 2 Center of Excellence on Functional Fibrous Structures and Environmental Enhancement, Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran 3 Department of Textile Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran Submission: September 25, 2017; Published: October 31, 2017 *Corresponding author: Fatemeh Dadashian, Department of Textile Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran, Email: Curr Trends Fashion Technol Textile Eng 1(1): CTFTTE.MS.ID.555554 (2017) 0017 Introduction Nanoscale materials have received attention owing to their high surface area to volume ratio and the unique chemical and physical properties. Recently, the research on the preparation of nanoparticles from natural polymers is given much importance [1]. Natural fibers, well known as environmental friendly materials, have the advantages of low density, low cost, and biodegradability. However, a considerable amount of these fibers has been wasted during industrial processes all over the world [2]. Protein wastes such as by-products from agricultural sources, wool textile industry, poor quality raw wool not fit for spinning, and hairs and feathers from butchery constitute an important renewable source of biopolymers [3]. Keratin is the major structural fibrous protein providing outer covering such as hair, wool, feathers, and nails with robust mechanical properties, thermal durability and resistance to physicochemical degradation. The intermolecular bonding of disulfide cystine amino acid and inter- and intra molecular bonding of polar and nonpolar amino acids in keratin results in its high stability and distinctive physical characteristics [4]. Wool is a natural fiber obtained from the fleece of sheep. This natural and multicellular staple fiber is mainly composed of proteins and organic substances [5]. Feathers are probably the most abundant protein material in nature. They represent from 5% to 7% of the body weight of chickens, being important by-products of the poultry industry, which are produced millions of tons annually throughout the world [6,7]. Recycling of these protein fibers in different forms such as films, gels, scaffolds, sponges and powders has been the objective of many studies due to their high protein content, biodegradability, and biocompatibility [8-10]. The protein powder could keep the original properties of the material without destroying the microstructure [11]. Many researchers have tried to produce particles by different methods such as regeneration from keratin solution, mechanical attrition and chemical–mechanical techniques [12-16]. Solution routes have inherent limitations in the preparation process, i.e. long time of dialysis, high production costs, safety and environmental constraints. Although mechanical attrition, which involves chopping and crushing the fibers with suitable milling machines can avoid these problems, it has high energy consumption [14]. Furthermore, this process is relatively difficult due to the softness and elasticity of the natural fibers leading to dispersity in particles shapes and size. Thus, special chemical pretreatments are usually employed to weaken the fibers structure and improve powder productivity [15]. The electro-spraying techniques can Abstract Nowadays, recycling natural waste materials is the most appropriate way of dealing with the problems arising from disposal of large volumes of synthetic polymers in the environment. Among the natural materials, keratin proteins are potentially useful biopolymers for various applications from agriculture to biomedical. Keratin, which largely presents in poultry feather, wool, and hair, can be developed into various shapes and forms of foams, sponges, mats, films, gels, fibers, and powder. Since the protein powder could keep the original properties of the material without destroying the microstructure, it has been widely applied in modern industries. Nanoparticles can be produced by different methods such as milling, spray drying, electro spraying, rotary blades and sonication. The recovered keratin from natural resources in powder form has promising potential for a wide range of applications including cosmetics, filtration, composites, etc. This paper overviews a brief discussion on the subject. Keywords: Protein; Natural fibers; Keratin; Nanoparticles; Enzyme Current Trends in Fashion Technology & Textile Engineering ISSN: 2577-2929