Background:
Shellfish processing creates environmental problem in the form of shells and head waste. Nearly 50% of the raw material is discarded as waste after processing. The shrimp processing industry in India turns out more than 1.25 lakh tones of head and shell waste per annum. Nearly 7,000 tonnes of chitin can be produced from the prawn shell which is thrown out as waste.
Technology Details:
The waste from shell fish can be effectively converted into chitin and chitosan. Chitin, a natural biopolymer is component of the cell walls of fungi, the exoskeletons of arthropods such as crustaceans and insects, the radulae of molluscs, and the beaks and internal shells of cephalopods. Chitosan is produced by deacetylation of chitin. Chitin and chitosan have versatile applications in medicinal, industrial, agricultural and biotechnological fields. Chitin is produced by demineralization and deproteinization of crustacean shell using acid and alkali respectively. Deacetylation of chitin will yield chitosan. Production of chitin and chitosan is a chemical process and setting up the facility require high capital investment. It offers scope conversion of processing waste into a high value product. Chitin and chitosan are products having high export demand. The units which manufacture these products are 100% exportoriented units with established market linkages.