A master's thesis in the Department of Ecology at the College of Science at the University of Basra explored the isolation and identification of bacteria that produce keratinase enzyme and the determination of the optimal conditions for their ability to bioremediate poultry feathers.

The thesis, presented by the student Nour Mahmoud Ahmed, aims to isolate bacteria that produce keratinase enzyme from soils containing poultry waste and convert it into high-nutritional value livestock feed.

The thesis concluded after recording nine bacterial species for the first time in the world as keratinase-producing bacteria, in addition to recording the genus Rummelibacillus for the first time in Iraq.

The thesis recommended the importance of bioremediation of keratin waste using efficient strains of bacteria that produce keratinase and the possibility of recycling it into valuable materials such as livestock feed and using it in a number of applications.