Production of Chitosan from Crab Shells

Abstract

The amino polysaccharide of chitin polymer happens to be the most commonly known polymer. Chitosan as a derivative of chitin is obtained through demineralization and deacetylation. Owing to the special properties of chitin and chitosan for instance their bio compatibility, bio-biodegradability, non-toxicity and also capability to form films, have resulted in their suitability in chemical and thermal conductivity applications. In the field of nanotechnology, chitosan based materials are currently being widely applied. The purpose of this review is to synthesize and characterize chitosan obtained from the crab shells. The absorption band obtained from FTIR between 1220 cm−1 and 1020 cm−1 represented free amino group (−NH2). The 40.000 grams of powdered crab shells resulted in the formation of 23.000g of chitin after undergoing the process of demineralization to eliminate the minerals available in the crab shells. The removed minerals from the crab shells constituted 17.000 g (39.53%) of the total dry weight in the crab shell. The water binding capacity (WBC) was found to be 69 %.