Chitin-based pulps: Structure-property relationships and environmental sustainability
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A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
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Date
2024-02-01
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Language
en
Pages
12
Series
Carbohydrate Polymers, Volume 325
Abstract
The deconstruction and valorization of chitinous biomass from crustaceans is a promising route for sustainable bioproduct development alternative to petroleum-based materials. However, chitin nanocrystal and chitin nanofibril isolation from crustacean shells is often subjected to extensive processing, compromising their environmental and cost sustainability. To address the sustainability challenge that chitin valorization presents, herein we introduce a mild fibrillation route to generate “chitin pulp”; where a careful control of the macro- and micro-fibrillated chitin with protein and mineral components yields tailored properties. Films produced from protein-rich chitin pulp showed ultimate strength of up to 93 ± 7 MPa. The surface energy and wetting behavior, going from hydrophilic to nearly-hydrophobic, could be tailored as a function of pulp composition. Life cycle assessment of the protein-rich chitin pulps demonstrated that the global warming potential of chitin pulp is reduced by 2 to 3 times when compared to chitin nanocrystals. Overall, this work presents a new and potentially scalable route for the generation of chitin-based materials having a reduced environmental footprint compared to nanochitins and chitosan, thus opening a new route for the valorization of chitin beyond nanochitin for the development of environmentally and economically sustainable materials.Description
| openaire: EC/H2020/788489/EU//BioELCell Funding Information: The authors acknowledge financial support from the Global Training program of the Basque Government ; the “2021 Euskampus Missions 1.0. Programme” granted by Euskampus Fundazioa; the University of the Basque Country (Convocatoria de ayudas a grupos de investigación, GIU21/010 ); the European Commission Horizon 2020 ERC Advanced program (grant agreement No. 788489 “BioElCell”); the Canada Excellence Research Chair Program ( CERC-2018-00006 ) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (Project number 38623 ). BLT is the recipient of the Khalifa University of Science and Technology (KUST) Faculty Startup Project (Project code: 84741140-FSU-2022-021 ). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors
Keywords
Bioeconomy, Chitin, Environmental impact, Green chemistry, Life cycle assessment, Pulp
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Citation
G. Greca, L, Azpiazu, A, Reyes, G, Rojas, O J, Tardy, B L & Lizundia, E 2024, ' Chitin-based pulps: Structure-property relationships and environmental sustainability ', Carbohydrate Polymers, vol. 325, 121561 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121561