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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Preparation of Expanded Chitin Foams and their Use in the Removal of Aqueous Copper
Published on: February 27, 2021
Chitin and chitosan from Basidiomycetes
F Di Mario1, P Rapanà, U Tomati
1Istituto di Biologia Agroambientale e Forestale, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Area della Ricerca di Roma 1, RM Italy.
Abstract:
Chitinous material was isolated from the mycelium of seven species of Basidiomycetes to evaluate the possibility of using fungal biomass as a source of chitin and chitosan. Such material was characterised for its purity, degree of acetylation and crystallinity. Chitin yields ranged between 8.5 and 19.6% dry weight and the chitosan yield was approximately 1%. The characteristics of the fungal chitins were similar to those of commercial chitin. Chitosans, with a low degree of acetylation, comparable with that of commercial chitosan, were obtained by the chemical deacetylation of fungal chitins.
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