Production of chitosan from shellfish waste in ultrasonic reactor

Shellfish wastes have been the primary source of a naturally occurring bioploymer known as chitin. Chitosan is a glucoseamine biopolymer which is obtained by removing of acetyl groups found in chitin. The more interesting material property of chitosan compared to chitin, is due to the large variety of useful forms and commercially availiability. Although there are various chitin sources for chitosan production, shellfish is the most efficient one. Isolation of chitin from shellfish wastes carried out by removing the minerals, proteins and pigments. Then chitosan production was achieved by removing of the acetyl groups in chitin via deacetylation. The effects of temperature, concentration, ultrasound intensity and reaction times on the chitin/chitosan production yield during the chitin isolation an deacetylation opertaions and reactions, were parametrically examined. Chitosan yield increases with the increasing of temperature, concentration ve reaction time and also teh effect of ultrasound. HPLC and FTIR analysis results have been achieved with the degree of deacetylation of chitosan and chitosan yield quantitatively examined. The reduction of yield after the increase shows that the accelerator effect of ultrasound, high temperature and solution concentraion, the chitosan monomers are broken by tihs parameters. At 60°C, 120 min reaction time, 3M solution concentration with ultrasound assistance, the chitosan was obtained in 34% yield and deacetylation degree of 9% increase is achieved.