CAVALCANTI, A. S. R. R. M.; CAVALCANTI, Anna Sylvia Ramos Rangel Moreira.
Resumo:
The progress in human history can be traced through progress in the use of materials. Recently, materials from the fishing industry, as chitin and production of its main derivative, chitosan, have been considered as alternatives of great potential for the biomedical area. Therefore, this work aims to study and develop the process of chitin extraction and the production of chitosan for biomaterials applications. In a pioneering work, Scanning Electronic Microscopy and X-ray Dispersion Spectroscopy tests were performed during the extraction of chitin, where it was possible to observe the arrangement of the various components in shrimp shells identifying the areas of greatest accumulation. Fourier Transform Infra-Red and X-ray Diffraction tests were performed both on the extraction of chitin and chitosan production. For chitin where values between 2%- 6% where and up to 60% deacetylation to chitosan using method with single step. By the multistep process, having 7h deacetylation in 3 steps, with a satisfactory results of chitosan with a deacetylation degree of 90% and fully soluble chitosan. From dynamic viscosity test and FTIR fitted into low as chitosan molecular weight. Also yields of chitin in different seasons and different methods for the degree of deacetylation determination through FTIR were successfully studied.