An ultrasonic-ionic liquid process for the efficient acid catalyzed hydrolysis of feather keratin

Abstract A novel efficient method for hydrolyzing feather keratin using an ultrasonic-ionic liquid coupling process has been developed, with reaction conditions optimized using response surface analysis of data obtained from single factor optimization studies. Ultrasonic irradiation (225 W power) of feathers in 8.4 mol·L − 1 hydrochloric acid containing 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride as a cosolvent at 80 °C for 1.4 h, followed by heating at 110 °C for 8.3 h, resulted in hydrolysis of their keratin component in an excellent 83.1% yield. Compared with previous methods, this new method employs reduced amounts of hydrochloric acid, shorter reaction time, and affords amino acid hydrolysis products in higher yield.