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Updated: Oct 9, 2025
Preparation of Expanded Chitin Foams and their Use in the Removal of Aqueous Copper
Published on: February 27, 2021
An improved extraction and purification method for obtaining high-quality chitin and chitosan from blue swimmer
Wernakulasooriya Manikkage Jayani Chethana Minoli Tissera1, Suramya Indunil Rathnayake2, Edirisinghe Dewage Nalaka Sandun Abeyrathne1,3
1Department of Animal Science, Uva Wellassa University, Badulla, 90000 Sri Lanka.
Abstract:
Portunus pelagicus shell waste is highly accumulated in seafood processing factories and has low commercial applications. The objective of this study was to modify and develop a scale-up, simple, and high-yielding chemical method for extraction and purification of chitin and chitosan from P. pelagicus shell waste. The developed method included a new "pretreatment" process using acetic acid followed by chemical treatments at each purification step. The final product was characterized by XRD and FTIR spectroscopy. Control chitin and chitosan were produced using a pre-described method for comparison. Yields of crude chitin, chitosan, and purified chitosan were 32.52 ± 0.68%, 26.28 ± 0.47%, and 21.78 ± 0.34% respectively whereas in the control chitin and chitosan the yields were 20.34 ± 0.72% and 13.79 ± 0.93% respectively (p < 0.05). Better physicochemical and functional properties were recorded in the developed method (p < 0.05). Hence the developed methodology can be scaled up and used in industrial applications.
Supplementary Information:
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-021-01002-x.
