SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CHITOSAN FROM RAW SHRIMP SHELL WASTE

Abstract

Chitosan is a polysaccharide that is completely natural, non-toxic, biocompatible and biodegradable. Various commercial and biomedical applications exist for chitosan. The objective of this research was to synthesis chitosan nanopowders and then characterizes them. Waste shrimp shell is employed in this study as the starting point for the production of chitosan. Through the use of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), the structural and chemical characteristics of the nanopowders have been explored. The examination of the thermal stability of synthesized chitosan performed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The present study revealed that chitosan nanopowders were successfully synthesized by chemical method with minor modification. The XRD study showed two characteristics crystalline peaks approximately at 2θ = 9.63° and 19.93° which is similar to the previous papers. Therefore, it can be said that chitosan nanopowders were successfully synthesized.