An environmentally
friendly approach for the comprehensive utilization of shrimp shell
waste was reported. Instant catapult steam explosion (ICSE) was employed
for shrimp shell waste pretreatment. After ICSE, lower crystallinity
and greater surface areas of shrimp shells were achieved, which significantly
enhanced the extraction of chitin. Compared to the traditional method,
weaker organic acid (HCOOH) and much lower dosages of KOH (90% molar
less) were used, and chitin with a high demineralization rate (98.2%)
and deproteinization rate (97.7%) was obtained. The wastewater was
neutralized by simply intermixing, and it was recycled as a potential
plant fertilizer because it contained more oligopeptides, calcium,
and potassium, but it was less salty and therefore non-toxic to plants.
The whole process produced less solid waste and no waste water. The
obtained chitin also showed a low degree of acetylation (50.5%), which
demonstrates the potential for environmentally friendly preparation
of chitosan in dilute alkali through ICSE.