Water Purification Potentials of Crustacean Chitosan
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Springer, Cham
Abstract
Description
Chitin is the structural component exoskeleton of various organisms, mainly
insects, lobsters, shrimp, and crabs. The unique properties of chitin confer a
wide range of applications on the polymer. Chitosan is a polysaccharide
produced from the alkalescent deacetylation of chitin. The properties of
chitosan, which make it indispensable in aquaculture and water purification,
include solubility in acidic solutions, high water holding capacity,
biocompatibility, biodegradability, nontoxicity, bioactivity, and polycationic
nature. These properties are significantly expressed when the deacetylation
has high efficiency, characterized by the quantity of the chitosan yielded.
However, the quality of chitosan depends on the source of the chitin used.
Studies have shown that chitin sourced from crustaceans may be the most
effective in improving water quality for aquaculture systems. A comprehensive
understanding of the interactions of chitosan with its surroundings is required
for improved knowledge of the possible modifications to the biopolymer. The
unique chitosan has shown outstanding efficiency of nutrient delivery in
aquaculture systems. The chitosan can circulate the micronutrients to the
target tissues through the blood plasma in a physiologically significant
amount. This minimizes the chances of unutilized nutrients causing pollution
problems in the aquaculture system. Detailed comparative study on the
efficiency of crustacean-sourced chitosan on a species and taxa basis may
break new grounds in water purification and treatment techniques.
Comparative phylogenetic analysis of chitosan from various sources with
crustacean sources holds the key to a better understanding of the correlations
between genetic diversity and efficiency variations. This may be a milestone in
the fisheries and aquaculture sector. Such a comparative investigation should
focus on removing suspended solids, dissolved solids, BOD, COD, and free
chlorine to establish its suitability. This provides an overview of the
composition of crustacean chitosan, which is a naturally occurring
polysaccharide with a wide range of applications in food, cosmetic, and
pharmaceutical industries. The review focuses on the primary components of
crustacean chitosan, including glucosamine, glucuronic acid, Nacetylglucosamine,
and N-acetylgalactosamine, as well as their relative ratios.
In addition, the review discusses the effects of various processing techniques
on the composition of crustacean chitosan and its impact on the various
applications. Finally, the review compares the composition of crustacean
chitosan to that of other chitosans, such as fungal and bacterial chitosan. This
report explores the superiority of crustacean chitosan over other sources of
chitosan, such as those sourced from insects, bacteria, and algae.
Keywords
QH Natural history, QH301 Biology, QR Microbiology