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Review
. 2022 Apr 5;14(7):1475.
doi: 10.3390/polym14071475.

Chitosan as a Tool for Sustainable Development: A Mini Review

Soundouss Maliki  1 , Gaurav Sharma  2   3   4 , Amit Kumar  2   3 , María Moral-Zamorano  1 , Omid Moradi  5 , Juan Baselga  1 , Florian J Stadler  3 , Alberto García-Peñas  1
Affiliations
Review

Chitosan as a Tool for Sustainable Development: A Mini Review

Soundouss Maliki et al. Polymers (Basel). .

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.

Keywords: biopolymers; chitosan; circular economy; sustainable development.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structure of chitosan.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Extraction of chitin. DES: deep eutectic solvents; HBA: hydrogen bond acceptor; HBD: hydrogen bond donor.
Scheme 1
Scheme 1
Deacetylation of chitin.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Different uses of chitosan.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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