Scientist says feathers are future of Asia construction

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2008

MANILA (AFP) — A Filipino scientist says he has created a new composite building board made of chicken feathers that could be a major breakthrough for the construction industry in Asia.

The new material would be resistant to the region'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 research done by University of the Philippines Los Baños professor Menandro Acda, which is funded by the Ford Conservation and Environmental Grants programme, is being heralded as economically and environmentally sound.

In an interview with AFP, Acda said the material, made of compressed cement and chicken feathers, could be widely used for housing,...