The new material would be resistant to the area's armies of termites, and could also solve a major environment problem in the Philippines by providing a way to dispose of millions of kilos of waste feathers each year.
The work by Professor Menandro Acda is being heralded as economically and environmentally sound. It is made of compressed cement and chicken feathers and could be widely used for housing, replacing boards now made with wood chips, which are easily ruined by hungry insects.
Feathers contain keratin, which the termites cannot digest. 'They are resistant to insect infestation such as termites because the feathers are inedible,' said Acda. 'They are also not as flammable or combustible as conventional cement and wood-fibre composite boards,' he added.
Although more research needs to be done, Acda said the feather boards could be used for paneling, ceilings and as insulation but not for weight-bearing building components like walls or pillars.
He said it would also solve the significant problem of disposing of the 2.4 million tons of feathers produced each year by the Philippines poultry industry, while doing less damage to the environment.
Conventional waste disposal methods such as burning, burial or recycling the feathers for use in low-quality animal feeds are regarded as undesirable because of damage to the environment.
He is now ready to apply for a patent and is seeking a partnership with a company to take the product to market.
