Production of Water-Soluble Chitin (Derived from Shrimp Waste) via a Modification Process Using Non-Toxic Compounds and Solvents

GRANTED INVENTION PATENT

 

Technology Title: Production of Water-Soluble Chitin (Derived from Shrimp Waste) via a Modification Process Using Non-Toxic Compounds and Solvents

 

Inventors:

 

Felipe Kessler (Lattes CV)
Victor Ramon Mendonça Leite (Lattes CV)
Luiz Antonio de Almeida Pinto (Lattes CV)
Tito Roberto Sant Anna Cadaval Junior (Lattes CV)
Tuanny Santos Frantz (Lattes CV)
Bruna Silva de Farias (Lattes CV)

 

Academic Unit: School of Chemistry and Food – EQA

 

Overview:
Chitin is one of the most promising biopolymers for technological applications due to its abundance, renewability, low cost, and biodegradability. Additionally, it exhibits mechanical and thermal properties comparable to the most widely used polymers in our society, such as polyethylene and polypropylene. However, chitin remains biodegradable and biologically active. Until now, the commercial exploitation of chitin has been primarily linked to its conversion into chitosan, because chitin is one of the most difficult natural biopolymers to solubilize. This limitation has now been overcome through the development of a process that generates various chitin-based materials (films, resins, gels, membranes) with different degrees of water solubility.

 

Description:
An unprecedented process for solubilizing chitin using non-toxic solvents, including aqueous systems. This process is simple, low-cost, and scalable, as it requires only standard industrial unit operations, utilizing 100% domestically available technology in Brazil, with exceptional ease of implementation anywhere across the country.

 

Problem Solved:
Solubilization of a biopolymer using non-toxic solvents through a low-cost and scalable process. The economic potential per ton of the developed products ranges from R$10,000 to R$20,000, making it extremely competitive with current market alternatives (e.g., chitosan at R$380,000 and polypropylene at R$9,100).

 

Applications:
Development of gels, resins, waxes, coagulants, polymeric solutions, films, and membranes based on chitin. These biomaterials show high potential for application in pharmaceutical, food, environmental, and cosmetic fields.

 

Advantages:

 
  • Green process, low-cost, and scalable;
  • Viscosity control;
  • Thermal resistance (≥ 300 °C), mechanical, and chemical resistance;
  • Film-forming capability;
  • Ability to encapsulate water-insoluble compounds with controlled release at the target site;
  • Broad range of biological activities (e.g., antioxidant, antimicrobial, biocompatibility).
 

Patent Status: Granted. PATENT LETTER NO. BR 10 2018 072441 0, issued on November 16, 2021.
Technology Readiness Level (TRL): TRL/MRL 4

 

Abstract: Available at this link.