Production and characterization of chitosan wi̇th different methods from shells shrimp

Chitin is the most second abundant polymer naturally occurring in the world after cellulose. Approximately 10 billion tons of chitin are produced in nature by biosynthesis for every year. Chitin is found in shellfish, exoskeletal structure of insects and cell wall of fungi. Chitosan is also produced by deacetylation of the chitin. Chitosan is an antibacterial, antifungal, biocompatible, biodegradable and non-toxic natural amino-polysaccharide. The deacetylation process during chitosan production changes the physicochemical and functional properties of chitosan. Properties of chitosan are affected by deacetylation degree, viscosity and molecular weight. In this study, chitin was produced from shrimp shells after demineralization, deproteinization and depigmentation processes. The chitin was treated with high concentrations of NaOH to produce chitosan using different methods such as conventional method, pressure and microwave energy. The produced chitin and chitosan polymers were characterized by FT-IR, TGA, SEM and EDS.