Table 5.
Average degradation of feathers laden with combination of heavy metals and number of times the beads were reused
| Heavy metal combinations | Concentration of each (ppm) | Average feather degradation (%) | Number of cycles | Tolerance level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| As, Cd | 10 | 87 ± 1.5a | 7 | T |
| As, Cd | 15 | 72 ± 3.2b | 4 | T |
| Ag, Co, Cu | 10 | 100 ± 0a | 8 | H |
| Ag, Co, Cu | 20 | 100 ± 0a | 8 | H |
| Ag, Co, Cu | 25 | 55 ± 9.3b | 3 | T |
| Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn | 1 | 54 ± 2.9a | 6 | T |
| Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn | 5 | 32 ± 3.3b | 4 | A |
| As, Ag, Cd, Co, Cu | 5 | 95 ± 2.5 | 5 | H |
Results of feather degradation were expressed as mean ± SD. Mean values of similar heavy metal combinations that do not share the same superscript letter in the column of “average feather degradation” are significantly different (p < 0.05)