VOA标准英语2010年-Scientists Convert Feathers Into Biode

If you're a home gardener you may soon find that the pots you buy flowers and plants in are made from chicken feathers. Yes, tons of feathers that go to waste every year can now be transformed into plastics.  Two Washington-area scientists are using feathers to produce biodegradable plastics and other materials that could change the future of the plastic industry. 

Every year the U.S. poultry¹ industry produces nearly 2,000 metric tons of feathers.  Some are used to make pillows, coats and low-grade animal food.  But about 80 per cent goes to waste.
Not any more.  Soon, it will be possible to convert those waste feathers into biodegradable plastics.  Chemist Masud Huda is with the Horticultural Research Institute.

"Here are the resin² formulations, which is 100% feather base," said Masud Huda. "This is the basic material for any other applications not only the pottery³ containers but it can also be used in the automotive industry parts or any other applications."

A few years ago Huda joined forces with researcher Walter Schmidt at the US Department of Agriculture, who was working on practical uses for discarded chicken feathers.  Together, they produced art paper, absorbents, water and air filters, and insulation⁴ materials - all made from feathers.  

Schmidt says the chemical composition and strength of the feathers makes them a great material for many uses.

Feathers are about eight times as strong as cellulose," said Walter Schmidt. "By design, feathers are strong and durable⁵.  If feathers were twice as heavy or half strong then birds couldn't fly."

Later, Schmidt and Huda produced biodegradable plastics and started making plastic flower pots. 
While pots made from petroleum⁶ plastics can last indefinitely, Schmidt says most are never re-used because of concerns about contamination. 

The pots made from feathers, on the other hand, are designed to last from six months to a few years..

"Plastics from petroleum often stay around a couple hundred years; so why do you want a plastic that you use for a year to last a couple hundred years, make no sense, match the product with the use," he said.

 The two scientists have also made prototype dash-boards for cars and other parts for the automobile⁷ industry.  They say the possibilities for substitute plastics are great.  To their biodegradable pots they are now adding other waste materials, which could also be beneficial to the plants.

"This is pelletized manure⁸ that we can actually add to the flower pots so they get nutrients⁹ from the pot themselves," said Schmidt.

The scientists hope that in a year or two their biodegradable flower pots will be on the national market, marking the beginning of the end for plastic pots.
 

1 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

2 resin   

n.树脂，松香，树脂制品；vt.涂树脂

参考例句：

• This allyl type resin is a highly transparent, colourless material.这种烯丙基型的树脂是一种高度透明的、无色材料。
• This is referred to as a thixotropic property of the resin.这种特性叫做树脂的触变性。

3 pottery   

n.陶器，陶器场

参考例句：

• My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
• The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。

4 insulation   

n.隔离；绝缘；隔热

参考例句：

• Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
• It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。

5 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

6 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

7 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

8 manure   

n.粪，肥，肥粒；vt.施肥

参考例句：

• The farmers were distributing manure over the field.农民们正在田间施肥。
• The farmers used manure to keep up the fertility of their land.农夫们用粪保持其土质的肥沃。

9 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》