Synthesis and characterization of carboxymethyl shrimp chitosan (CMSCh) from waste shrimp shell

Chitin, the main component of shellfish such as crab and shrimp, is one of the most used biopolymers after cellulose. Today, although recycling of waste is becoming increasingly important, large quantities of seafood shells such as crab and shrimp are being destroyed around the world without much evaluation. Chitosan, which is non-toxic, biodegradable-biocompatible and has many application advantages compared to chitin, is used in many sectors, especially cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and agriculture, as it shows superior properties compared to other biopolymers in terms of chemical and physical properties. In this study, in order to evaluate waste shrimp shells (WSS), shrimp shells were first removed from their minerals and proteins by deproteinization, demineralization and deacetilization processes. Then, chitosan and carboxymethyl shrimp chitosan (CMSCh) were synthesized by isolation of chitin. The structures of Chitin-chitosan and CMSCh were characterized by spectroscopic methods (FT-IR, XRD and NMR) and the deacetylation degrees of them were calculated. Also, surface morphologies and thermal properties were analyzed by SEM and DTA-TG, respectively.