Plastic from Shrimp Shell

Waste from shrimp and other crustaceans can be utilized as a precursor polymer substitute material substance derived from petroleum. Research conducted by the researchers of the European Union is expected to find an efficient method to convert waste into nylon.

Shrimp and lobster are the most widely consumed crustaceans. But the leather waste generated by the seafood industry to be a major problem for the environment and health. The rest of the meat is left on the shrimp shell waste, for example, be an ideal medium for the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Burning waste is ultimately burden the environment because it is difficult crustaceans skin burns.

In Europe alone, the Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that more than 750 thousand tons produced each year crustacean shells. In many Asian countries, shrimp shell waste is converted into chitosan, a compound that can be used as biopesticides to substance in tissue engineering and biomedical fixation enzyme. Unlike the Asian crustacean shells, shrimp or lobster shells Europe have levels higher calcium carbonate that is not suitable for producing chitosan.

Research project funded by the European Union ChiBio attempt to change crustacean shells into monomers, plastics forming materials. The plastics industry is still dependent on the source of petroleum to produce the material.

"The main goal of this project is to develop a biorefinery chitin-rich waste to obtain biomonomer for the polymer industry," says Lars Wiemann, from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology, in Straubing, Germany. He believes the methods used in this project can also be applied to other new biogenic material such as leather, insects or fungi.

Until now, most of the sewage treatment focused on the extraction of crustacean shells chitosan. The distillation process that the team will do this one step further, namely by breaking down chitin in shrimp shells into basic components, such as glucosamine sugar monomers. These components can be recycled into material used in the synthesis of polymers, such as nylon or polyester.

The challenge of this project is a commercial aspect. "The industry is very competitive polymer, monomer produced, both fossil and renewable sources, must be cheap," Wiemann said. "If our process is too expensive, not competitive and is not suitable for the industry." *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SCIENCEDAILY | TJANORA DEWI | KORAN TEMPO 4141]

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