Chitosan as a Tool for Sustainable Development: A Mini Review

Abstract

New developments require innovative ecofriendly materials defined by their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and versatility. For that reason, the scientific society is focused on biopolymers such as chitosan, which is the second most abundant in the world after cellulose. These new materials should show good properties in terms of sustainability, circularity, and energy consumption during industrial applications. The idea is to replace traditional raw materials with new ecofriendly materials which contribute to keeping a high production rate but also reducing its environmental impact and the costs. The chitosan shows interesting and unique properties, thus it can be used for different purposes which contributes to the design and development of sustainable novel materials. This helps in promoting sustainability through the use of chitosan and diverse materials based on it. For example, it is a good sustainable alternative for food packaging or it can be used for sustainable agriculture. The chitosan can also reduce the pollution of other industrial processes such as paper production. This mini review collects some of the most important advances for the sustainable use of chitosan for promoting circular economy. Hence, the present review focuses on different aspects of chitosan from its synthesis to multiple applications.

MosChito rafts as effective and eco-friendly tool for the delivery of a Bacillus thuringiensis-based insecticide to Aedes albopictus larvae

“…MosChito rafts have been conceived with highly tested biomaterials. Chitosan, the major component of the hydrogel, is a renewable resource since it is produced by deacetylation of chitin, the second most widely occurring biopolymer in nature after cellulose 37 , 38 . Besides availability, chitosan is characterized by non-toxicity, biodegradability, and biocompatibility.…”

Recent Advances in Bio-Based Smart Active Packaging Materials

“…Chitosan is synthesised by the deacetylation of chitin, the only positively charged alkaline polysaccharide in nature [ 36 , 37 , 38 ]. It is nontoxic and odourless and can undergo chemical reactions such as oxidation, reduction, nitration, carboxymethylation and hydrolysis under the corresponding conditions to produce various chitosan derivatives with different properties.…”

Biosorbent Based on Poly(vinyl alcohol)–Tricarboxi-Cellulose Designed to Retain Organic Dyes from Aqueous Media

“…Adsorption is still one of the methods that is frequently used to retain some chemical pollutants, mainly because it offers benefits that are hard to ignore, such as the ability to use a variety of inexpensive adsorbent materials (also known as “low cost” adsorbents) regardless of the type of pollutant and the necessary process conditions. Different biomaterials can be employed as biosorbents in adsorption techniques used to remove contaminants from water and wastewater because of their adsorbent qualities (e.g., dyes, phenol, pesticides, toxic metal ions, drug residues) [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. In order to effectively and affordably remove dyes from wastewater, biosorption can be used as a sustainable wastewater treatment method [ 35 , 36 , 37 ].…”