Continuous Deconstruction as an Effective Pretreatment of Shrimp Shells for the Subsequent Mild Separation Strategy of Chitin

Le résumé fourni par la source

Acid-alkali method, as the commonly used approach for extracting chitin from shrimp shells, poses a risk of polluting water and soil, potentially leading to health hazards in animals. Using low-concentration acid and alkaline solutions can reduce the consumption of chemical reagents and minimize environmental harm, but this results in lower-purity chitin, affecting its subsequent use. In this study, we employed a continuous deconstruction pretreatment (CDP) method for shrimp shells, followed by chitin extraction under mild acid-alkali conditions, achieving high demineralization (DM) and deproteinization (DP) rates (>99%) within 60 min. Compared to traditional method, the process not only saved half of the chemical reagent usage but also further improved the efficiency. The characterization analyses confirmed that the chitin produced in this study possessed a structure consistent with that of commercially available chitin and exhibited a higher molecular weight. According to the life cycle assessment (LCA), the carbon emissions per kilogram of shrimp shell treated were reduced by 53%. This strategy offers a new perspective for the green and efficient production of chitin and demonstrates significant potential for large-scale development.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.