EVALUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND PRODUCTION PROCESSES OF CHITOSAN DERIVED FROM SHRIMP EXOSKELETONS

EVALUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND PRODUCTION PROCESSES OF CHITOSAN DERIVED FROM SHRIMP EXOSKELETONS

• Autor
• Marcelo Bruno de Oliveira Silva
• Co-autores
• Sueli Aparecida de Oliveira , Derval dos Santos Rosa
• Resumo

• The increasing interest in sustainable development has led to a growing focus on biodegradable polymers, with chitosan being a prominent candidate due to its derivation from chitin, the second most abundant biopolymer in nature. Chitosan offers high biocompatibility and versatility, enabling its application in diverse fields such as biomedicine, packaging, cosmetics, agriculture, water treatment, and electronics. This study investigates the production of chitosan from crustacean shell waste by utilizing the residual exoskeletons of shrimp (Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis). The chitosan production process involves demineralization, deproteinization, depigmentation, and deacetylation of chitin. However, producing chitosan from shrimp waste can potentially generate environmental impacts. This study compares different deacetylation methods: conventional heating (D-H) and microwave radiation with different power levels (D-M1, D-M2, and D-M3). The energy consumption per gram of chitosan produced is assessed for each deacetylation method, revealing values of 382.1 KJ/g, 14.3 KJ/g, 8.7 KJ/g, and 8.9 KJ/g for D-H, D-M1, D-M2, and D-M3, respectively. The deacetylation degree was 76%, 85%, 55%, and 88% for the D-H, D-M1, D-M2, and D-M3 samples, respectively. The results demonstrate that the application of microwave energy shows greater efficiency, reducing energy consumption and processing time compared to conventional heating methods. Environmental impact assessment using the ReCiPe Midpoint H method reveals that potential terrestrial ecotoxicity, global warming, non-carcinogenic human toxicity, and land use are the identified categories with the greatest relative environmental impact. The deacetylation method D-M3, utilizing microwave radiation at a power of 500 W, exhibits the lowest potential for environmental impact due to its higher efficiency. The application of microwave energy for deacetylation demonstrates improved efficiency and reduced environmental impact compared to conventional heating methods. The findings provide valuable insights for optimizing chitosan production processes, enhancing sustainability in waste valorization, and directing future research toward developing greener technologies in biopolymer production.

• Palavras-chave
• environment, microwave radiation, deacetylation, crustacean, chitin
• Modalidade
• Pôster
• Área Temática
• Materiais Funcionais Avançados