Environmental and Economic Viability of Chitosan Production in Guayas-Ecuador: A Robust Investment and Life Cycle Analysis

Abstract

Ecuador is a country where shrimp production is one of its primary industries. It generates annually about 72,000 tons of wastes in the form of shrimp shells. Therefore, using this waste as a raw material resource to produce chitosan, a biopolymer, is established. An environmental and economic performance study is carried out as a possible investment report, where a conceptual design of the process is defined and a financial viability report is obtained. An environmental impact report establishes the degree of harm to the environment. The economic viability study considered costs related to capital and operation to process 5000 tons of shrimp shells each year. On the other hand, a life cycle assessment was performed to obtain the environmental impact for 1 kg of chitosan produce, where a cradle-to-gate approach was established. Results showed that this new industry has a net present value of 10.38 million USD, a rate of return of 67.31%, and a payback period of 3.13 years. Additionally, it was calculated that the environmental impact with a higher normalized value was the human noncarcinogenic toxicity. It is concluded that the production of chitosan in Guayas-Ecuador is economically viable and cost-competitive in the market, and it represents an industrial activity with no considerable environmental impacts.

Chitosan-Based Biomaterials: Insights into Chemistry, Properties, Devices, and Their Biomedical Applications

“…The environmental and production costs will be key issues for chitosan to enter the market as a competitive substitute of fossil-based feedstocks to produce innovative materials for several applications. In recent years, studies are emerging aimed at the detailed life cycle assessment (LCA) of chitosan production, specifically focusing on environmental and economic viability [ 306 ].…”

Chitosan Based Materials in Cosmetic Applications: A Review

“…Several stages of obtaining chitosan can be distinguished in both methods, such as the already mentioned demineralization process. Raw material contains not only chitin, but also proteins or minerals; therefore, the first stage in the preparation of this material is its drying and fragmentation, followed by deproteinization, demineralization, and decolorization [ 31 ]. Deproteinization is the first step, which requires the use of alkali and high temperature in the chemical approach, or the use of proteolytic enzymes in the biotechnological method.…”

Unlocking the Potential of Polymeric Aerogels from Food and Agricultural Waste for Sustainable CO2 Capture

“…Three main steps, viz. deproteinization, demineralization, and deacetylation, are involved in chitosan extraction from the shrimp and crab shells. , At the outset, the shells (Figure a–c) were thoroughly washed and dried at 80 °C for 8 h in a convection oven. This drying condition was applied in all intervening periods of subsequent unit operations, and the products of each step were washed with ultrapure water (type I) until the filtrate attained a nearly neutral pH.…”