Valorization of bone waste: effect of animal bone origin on hydroxyapatite structure and properties

This study demonstrates the valorization of bone waste from different animal sources as a sustainable approach to produce high-value hydroxyapatite (HA) powders, supporting circular economy principles. The findings provide a scientific basis for selecting bone waste sources depending on desired material properties, promoting resource-efficient recovery and reuse of biowaste. Three different types of bone-bovine, ostrich, and porcine-were selected for this research to compare species-dependent differences in HA derived from animal sources. Bovine bone served as a common reference, ostrich bone represented a non-mammalian source, and porcine bone was chosen for its close structural similarity to human bone. The HA powders were characterized in terms of particle size, specific surface area, crystallite size, phase composition, and porosity. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed variations in crystallite size with calcination temperature. Mechanical testing revealed that bovine-derived HA exhibited the highest compressive strength (17 MPa) and porcine-derived HA showed the highest hardness (0.5 GPa). These findings highlight the significant influence of the bone source on the microstructural and physicochemical properties of HA, providing a foundation for selecting optimal HA sources for targeted applications. With the results obtained in this paper, it is possible to select the animal of origin of the bones to be used based on the desired characteristics of the powder to be developed.