Abstract
The use of keratin-containing products in various industries, including agriculture, cosmetics, and biomedicine requires solving the urgent problem of improving the methods and means of hydrothermal hydrolysis of keratin waste. The purpose of this work was to study the screw electromechanical hydrolyzer to provide modes of efficient conversion of keratin waste into a useful product with added value. The research was based on the basic principles of electrodynamics, heat and mass transfer, mathematical modeling by the finite element method, and experimental verification of the multiphysical parameters of the electromechanical hydrolyzer. The experimental model of the electromechanical hydrolyzer was used to determine the optimal conditions for hydrothermal hydrolysis of keratin waste in terms of thermal conditions, raw material transportation, pressure, and magnetic field effects. As a result of the processing, bulk hydrolyzed brown feather flour with a specific odor was obtained. According to the size of the electromagnetic system of the experimental sample, a mathematical model for studying thermal and electromagnetic processes was built. The regularities of the spatial distribution of magnetic induction for the cross-section, axial distribution on the surface of the screw, and the upper faces of the screw winding of an electromechanical hydrolyzer were determined. Three-dimensional images of the heating of the screw and the screw electromechanical hydrolyzer itself were obtained. By comparing the results of mathematical modeling and empirical studies, the adequacy of the mathematical model was confirmed. The results of the research can find application in the field of animal husbandry in the production of feed additives of increased digestibility for the needs of feeding agricultural animals and poultry