Chitin isolation from crustacean waste using a hybrid demineralization/DBD plasma process

Conventional isolation of chitin from crustacean waste demands the use of high amounts of hazardous chemicals, hence not leading to a sustainable process. Atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma has demonstrated an enhanced ability to remove proteins directly from the biomass without the formation of any waste. Simultaneously, organic acids have proven very efficient in the removal of inorganic minerals from crustacean waste. Therefore, a hybrid process composed of DBD plasma and demineralization using organic acids has been successfully applied for the isolation of chitin. Results showed that the integration of nitrogen-based plasma and lactic acid demineralization allowed the elimination of 90 % of the proteins and ensures the complete removal of minerals from shrimp shells waste. The isolated chitin was further characterized using distinct techniques, namely XPS, ATR-FTIR, XRD and SEM. Chitin degree of deacetylation and molecular weight were also assessed. Hence, this work presents a sustainable and feasible platform for the extraction and purification of chitin from crustacean waste with almost zero waste formed.