Reduction of acid usage in chitosan production process from white shrimp shell using electro-chemical activation

White shrimp is produced more than 250,000 tons per year in Thailand. This generates a significant amount of waste, primarily from shrimp heads and shells, accounting for 40-50% of the total weight. To enhance the value of this waste, chitosan can be extracted through three main processes: deproteination using an alkaline solution (NaOH), demineralization using an acid solution (HCl) and deacetylation using a strong alkaline solution (NaOH). In this study, white shrimp shell powder was prepared and subjected to various treatments to determine the optimal conditions for chitosan extraction. The effects of concentration, temperature, reaction time, and solid-to-liquid ratio were evaluated using Box-Behnken Design (BBD) in combination with Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to optimize both the demineralization and deproteination processes. Additionally, before the demineralization process, the shrimp shell powder was soaked in demineralized water and stimulated by electro-chemical activation (ECA) to compare the results between ECA treated and untreated samples. Finally, the obtained chitosan was analyzed for purity using UV Spectrophotometer and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). The results showed that ECA pretreatment significantly improved demineralization performance, with all ECA-treated conditions achieving calcium removal efficiencies exceeding 90%, while the untreated group reached a maximum of only 81%.