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Individualizing high-quality chitin nanofibrils through a mild process using a low-energy input concrete mechanical vibrator
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O.BOX 35131, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Department of Chemistry, Mkwawa University College of Education, P.O.BOX 2513, Iringa, Tanzania.
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O.BOX 35131, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
KTH, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health (CBH), Fibre- and Polymer Technology, Biocomposites. KTH, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health (CBH), Centres, Wallenberg Wood Science Center.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5818-2378
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O.BOX 35131, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
2025 (English)In: Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, ISSN 2190-6815, E-ISSN 2190-6823, Vol. 15, no 10, p. 15631-15644Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Crab shells, often considered wastes, have the potential to be a valuable source of chitin nanofibrils (ChNFs) for various applications. This study introduces a novel, cost-effective method where NaOH treatment and concrete mechanical vibrator (CMV) produce high-quality ChNFs while maintaining their native properties, such as crystalline structure and higher degree of acetylation. This method, which is the first of its kind, addresses the challenge of developing a scalable approach to ChNF preparation. The crab shells underwent pretreatment with 20% NaOH four times over 2 weeks. Fourier transform infrared spectroscope (FTIR) confirmed preserving the α-chitin intrinsic structure after chemical treatment and mechanical disintegration. The resulting individual ChNFs displayed 82% crystallinity and 86% degree of acetylation, indicating the preservation of their physical properties to a large extent. The ChNFs had a diameter ranging between 10 and 23 nm, as observed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Rapid removal of water from the ChNF colloidal suspension using a vacuum pump allowed for forming a ChNF film by drying the resulting wet cake under pressure in an oven. The film exhibited impressive mechanical properties with a tensile strength of 149.9 MPa, Young's modulus of 8.4 GPa, and tensile strain of up to 7.1%. The combination of NaOH and the mechanical vibrator for mechanical disintegration presents an innovative and advantageous approach for scaling up production, especially considering the recyclability of NaOH as an industrial chemical.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer Nature , 2025. Vol. 15, no 10, p. 15631-15644
Keywords [en]
Chitin nanofibrils, Concrete mechanical vibrator, Crab shells, Deproteinization, Films, Structure
National Category
Polymer Technologies
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-367356DOI: 10.1007/s13399-024-06307-5ISI: 001405087700002Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85208243976OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-367356DiVA, id: diva2:1984652
Note

QC 20250717

Available from: 2025-07-17 Created: 2025-07-17 Last updated: 2025-08-15Bibliographically approved

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Berglund, Lars

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