Proceedings of the International Conference on Civil Engineering and Architecture for Sustainable Infrastructure Development and Environment (CEASIDE 2025)

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Biological Decomposition of Hair Keratin During Composting

Authors
Anna Joseph1, *, Jeffy Johny1, Suhas S. Nair1
1Jyothi Engineering College, Thrissur, India
*Corresponding author. Email: annajoseph@jecc.ac.in
Corresponding Author
Anna Joseph
Available Online 29 December 2025.
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-936-0_13How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Hair compost; Bacillus subtilis; Keratin
Abstract

The disposal of keratinous waste, especially human hair, poses significant environmental challenges due to its resistance to biodegradation. This study investigates the composting of hair waste using various organic materials and the effect of Bacillus subtilis inoculation on degradation efficiency. Hair was composted with coir pith, sawdust, dry leaves, plantain waste, poultry and cow manure in different proportions, both with and without bacterial inoculum. Over a six-month period, parameters such as moisture content, organic carbon, nitrogen content, C/N ratio, and temperature were monitored. Results demonstrated that samples inoculated with Bacillus subtilis showed a more significant reduction in C/N ratio –optimum ratio only nearly achieved, and enhanced nitrogen release, indicating improved compost quality. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis confirmed progressive keratin degradation in hair over time. However, the compost temperature remained below 33℃, limiting the composting rate and final quality. The study concludes that bacterial augmentation enhances hair degradation and nutrient availability, suggesting its potential in sustainable waste management strategies for keratin-rich materials.

Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the International Conference on Civil Engineering and Architecture for Sustainable Infrastructure Development and Environment (CEASIDE 2025)
Series
Atlantis Highlights in Sustainable Development
Publication Date
29 December 2025
ISBN
978-94-6463-936-0
ISSN
3005-155X
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-936-0_13How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Anna Joseph
AU  - Jeffy Johny
AU  - Suhas S. Nair
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/29
TI  - Biological Decomposition of Hair Keratin During Composting
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Civil Engineering and Architecture for Sustainable Infrastructure Development and Environment (CEASIDE 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 169
EP  - 176
SN  - 3005-155X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-936-0_13
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-936-0_13
ID  - Joseph2025
ER  -