The use of biodegradable materials has recently been an object of intense research with the aim of reducing the environmental footprint of conventional shopping bags and food packaging. Chitosan offers a very interesting potential thanks to its biocompatibility, degradability and non-toxicity.
This semi-natural biopolymeric material is produced by the deacetylation of chitin. The raw materials needed are abundantly available in the Mediterranean region: shells of crab, shrimp and prawn.
Irene SAMY FAHIM and her team of Nile University researchers develop a solution to extract chitin was extracted from shrimp shell waste and convert it into chitosan, used as one of the main components to manufacture shopping bag production.
Valorization of waste joined THE NEXT SOCIETY in 2019 when it was selected among the 15 most promising solutions addressing the “Zero plastic waste in the Mediterranean in 2030” challenge launched by the South region in Marseille.
Seen from the web: Reuters and Ahram
Country: Egypt
Sector(s): Biomaterials
Team: 5
Contact: Irene SAMY FAHIM, Founder, isamy@nu.edu.eg - Tel: +1001822221