Bioconversion Of Seafood Waste Into Chitosan: A Step Towards Sustainable Biomaterials

Abstract

Chitosan from crustacean shell waste, providing a reproducible approach to produce high-quality biopolymer for environmental applications. The sequential treatment of raw shell material—comprising demineralization with dilute hydrochloric acid, deproteinization with sodium hydroxide, and thermal deacetylation—yielded chitosan with a high degree of deacetylation. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the structural conversion of chitin to chitosan, while solubility and yield analyses further validated its quality. The optimized chitosan demonstrated properties that make it suitable for heavy metal remediation studies, particularly for copper and zinc ions. Its high density of amino and hydroxyl groups enhances its affinity toward metal ions, supporting its application as a low-cost, biodegradable, and eco-friendly adsorbent. The findings indicate that shell waste, often discarded as an environmental burden, can be converted into a valuable resource for water treatment technologies. Overall, this work highlights the dual benefit of waste valorisation and pollutant removal, underscoring the potential of optimized chitosan extraction as a sustainable approach for heavy metal bioremediation.