Preparation and Characterization of Chitosan from Shrimp Shells
Hariyati Lubis, Timbangen Sembiring, Susilawati, Perdinan Sinuhaji, Erna Frida, Syahrul Humaidi, Tengku Machdhalie Sofie, Irpansyah Siregar

Post Graduate Program Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Jl. Bioteknologi I Kampus USU, Medan, 20155, Indonesia
Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Amir Hamzah, Pancing Pasar V Barat, Medan 20371, Indonesia
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Amir Hamzah, Pancing Pasar V Barat, Medan 20371, Indonesia

Abstract

Shrimp is one of Indonesias leading export commodities, contributing significantly to the nation^s foreign exchange earnings. However, shrimp shell waste is an issue that needs to be addressed. Chitin and chitosan are multifunctional and versatile industrial materials. The chitin content in shrimp shell waste is approximately 20 percent-50 percent of its dry weight. Isolation of chitin compounds is carried out through a deproteinization reaction using 1&#8239-M NaOH solution with a ratio of 15:1 (v/w), stirred with a magnetic stirrer for 1 hour at 200&#8239-rpm. The demineralization reaction uses 1.5&#8239-M HCl solution, stirred for 1 hour at 200&#8239-rpm, and then dried in an oven for 6 hours at a temperature of 70C. The depigmentation reaction uses NaOCl solution with a ratio of 10:1 (v/w) in an extractor for 1 hour at 70&#8239-C. The deacetylation reaction to convert chitin into chitosan is carried out using 50 percent NaOH solution with a ratio of 10:1 (v/w) and oven-dried at 80C for 6 hours. XRD results show that chitosan derived from shrimp shells has a value of 19.54 theta. This is in accordance with the XRD test of Mercks chitosan factory which is 19.49 theta. Testing using SEM-EDX obtained a homogeneous morphology and a Si value of 0.4 percent. FTIR testing showed 2069.71 NH, N-H.The analysis of XRD results using XRD, SEM-EDS, FTIR show that chitosan has been successfully synthesized in this study.

Keywords: Preparation, Shrimp Shells, Chitosan, Characterization

Topic: Material Physics