Rights Granted for Feather Fibers: Perdue Farms...

Rights Granted for Feather Fibers: Perdue Farms said it has received a license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to produce a substitute for wood pulp fiber using one of Perdue’s most plentiful byproducts: chicken feathers. The Salisbury, Md.-based poultry producer, the nation’s third-largest, said it granted Lixi Inc. of Downers Grove, Ill., exclusive rights to market the feather fiber for use in disposable diapers, feminine hygiene products and wipes. Perdue said the feather fiber resists collapsing when wet and has a greater bulk density than conventional wood pulp fiber. That means less fiber is required to achieve the same amount of absorbency, at half the cost of synthetic fiber, Perdue said. A consumer product using the new fiber is expected to appear in stores by 1997.