OUR GOAL IS TO DEVELOP TEXTILE FIBERS, YARNS, FABRICS AND GARMENTS FROM CHICKEN FEATHERS VIA ENGINEERED PILOT-SCALE PRODUCTION, WHICH DETERMINES WHETHER THE TECHNOLOGY IS VIABLE ON INDUSTRIAL-SCALE PRODUCTIONS. WE PROPOSE SEVERAL DISSOLUTION SYSTEMS AND REINFORCEMENT METHODS TO IMPROVE THE PROPERTIES OF REGENERATED KERATIN FIBERS, AND TO PRODUCE KERATIN FIBERS FROM CONTINUOUS WET-SPINNING SYSTEM WITH ACCEPTABLE TEXTILE PROCESSING PROPERTIES. THROUGH COLLABORATIONS WITH THE WORLD-LEADING TEXTILE MANUFACTURERS, WE WILL DEMONSTRATE THAT CHICKEN FEATHERS COULD BE TURNED INTO PROFITABLE TEXTILE PRODUCTS WITH EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE PROPERTIES SUCH AS SOFT AND SMOOTH HANDLE, AND COMFORTABILITY.FIBER SHORTAGE HAS BECOME A PROMINENT PROBLEM WORLDWIDE. HEAVY USES OF SYNTHETIC FIBERS LEAD TO INTENSIFIED CONSUMPTION OF PETROLEUM RESOURCES AND POLLUTION TO THE ENVIRONMENT. AVAILABILITY OF NATURAL FIBERS IS LARGELY RESTRICTED BY NATURAL RESOURCES AND THUS THEIR PRICE KEEPS INCREASING. PROTEIN FIBERS SUCH AS WOOL AND SILK ARE EVEN MORE EXPENSIVE THAN OTHER NATURAL FIBERS. CHICKEN FEATHERS ARE ABUNDANT AND COST-EFFECTIVE SOURCES FOR PROTEIN FIBERS. HOWEVER, DUE TO POOR DISSOLUTION OF KERATIN, PREVIOUS EFFORTS ALL FAILED IN PRODUCING FIBERS FROM CHICKEN FEATHERS. WE ARE THE FIRST GROUP WHO SUCCESSFULLY DEVELOPED 100% REGENERATED KERATIN FIBERS FROM CHICKEN FEATHERS ON A LAB SCALE. HOWEVER, TENSILE PROPERTIES OF KERATIN FIBERS STILL HAVE TO BE IMPROVED BEFORE MASS PRODUCTION COULD BE REALIZED. WE PROPOSE METHODS TO IMPROVE THE PROPERTIES OF REGENERATED KERATIN FIBERS AND TO PRODUCE FIBERS WITH TEXTILE QUALITY VIA A PILOT-SCALE CONTINUOUS WET SPINNING LINE. WORLD-LEADING TEXTILE MANUFACTURERS WILL WORK WITH US TO TURN OUR FIBERS FROM CHICKEN FEATHERS INTO YARNS, FABRICS AND GARMENTS ON PILOT SCALE.FABRICATION OF FIBERS FROM ABUNDANT POULTRY FEATHERS WILL EXERT ENORMOUS IMPACTS ON ALL ASPECTS OF THE SOCIETY. AS DIRECT STAKEHOLDERS, POULTRY FARMING AND PROCESSING INDUSTRIES WILL BENEFIT FROM UTILIZING WASTE FEATHERS. TEXTILE AND APPAREL INDUSTRIES, THE MANUFACTURERS OF KERATIN FIBERS, WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE BENEFITS FROM THE NEW PRODUCTS AND BECOME MORE SUSTAINABLE. AS INDIRECT STAKEHOLDERS, OUR CITIZENS WILL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO USE QUALITY PROTEIN TEXTILES, WHICH ARE NOT ONLY COMFORTABLE BUT ALSO COST-EFFECTIVE.FABRICATION OF KERATIN FIBERS FROM POULTRY FEATHERS IS IMPORTANT TO FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHES AND INDUSTRIES. A FEASIBLE AND EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGY TO EXTRACT AND UTILIZE DENSELY CROSSLINKED PROTEINS WILL BE ESTABLISHED BY INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF MOLECULAR STRUCTURES AND INTERMOLECULAR ENTANGLEMENT ON FIBER PROPERTIES. THIS METHOD WILL INSTRUCTIVELY PROMOTE RESEARCHES ON AND APPLICATION OF OTHER AGRICULTURAL BYPRODUCTS AND COPRODUCTS CONTAINING SIMILAR CROSSLINKED PROTEINS, SUCH AS SOY MEALS, SORGHUM DISTILLERS GRAINS AND CAMELINA MEALS, EXPAND THEIR APPLICATIONS, AND ADD VALUES TO AGRICULTURAL, FOOD PROCESSING AND BIOFUEL INDUSTRIES.FABRICATION OFKERATIN FIBERS FROM POULTRY FEATHERS WILL ALSO PROVIDE NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO SMALL BUSINESS. ESTABLISHING SMALL BUSINESS IN RURAL AREAS CLOSE TO POULTRY FARMS FOR THE MANUFACTURING OF KERATIN-BASED PRODUCTS WILL CREATE JOBS, RAISE INCOME OF FARMERS, AND HELP THE LOCAL ECONOMY.POTENTIAL PRODUCTION OF KERATIN FIBERS IS 2.5 TIMES MORE THAN THE CURRENT PRODUCTION OF WOOL AND SILK TOGETHER, GENERATING A MARKET VALUE OF OVER $15 BILLION. THIS VALUE IS ONLY FOR THE MANUFACTURING OF KERATIN FIBERS, NOT INCLUDING THE VALUES FROM YARN, FABRIC AND GARMENT MANUFACTURING, AND RETAILING.