Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the benefits and procedures for making chitosan polymer from chitin found in shrimp shells. This initial research aims to synthesize chitosan membrane from chitosan powder and its characteristics. Chitin is the main organic material found in groups of crustaceans, insects, fungi, molluscs and arthropods animals. Crab, shrimp and lobster shells have long been known as sources of chitin production as their chitin content is quite high. Chitin is the second most abundant natural biopolymer after cellulose. This non-toxic natural biopolymer is produced commercially from shrimp and crab shell waste. Chitosan powder is prepared from shrimp shells through deproteination, demineralization and deacetylation processes. Chitosan is characterized by conducting tests of water content, ash content, nitrogen content, viscosity, degree of deacetylation, analysis of functional groups by IR spectroscopy and crystallinity by X-ray diffraction. Chitosan characterization is seen from physical appearance, functional group analysis and crystallinity. The potential application of chitosan, as a deacetylated chitin derivative is multidimensional in nature, such as in food and nutrition, biotechnology, materials science, medicine and pharmacy, agriculture and environmental protection. Chitin isolation from shrimp shells and its synthesis into chitosan, makes shrimp shells more beneficial for other fields. One of the applications of chitin is as chitosan polymer, which is used as an injection fluid in the field of Enhanced Oil Recovery.

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