What is Chitin, and size of global market2 Mar 2021 23:51
Few understand what chitin is much less what it does. That’s about to change on a national and global scale.
Chitin is the forgotten miracle by-product of the aquaculture industry. Today, for the most part and in spite of its intrinsic economic value, it is relegated to the waste dump when shrimp shells are tossed into the garbage.
Chitin is the building block of shrimp shells. It has unlimited, extremely vital uses thanks to its immeasurable characteristics. It’s biodegradable, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant, non-toxic and hypoallergenic. Quality chitin and its derivatives are in high demand in medical, bio-tech, agriculture, cosmetics, health care, textile, and industrial applications as well as by the food and beverage packaging industries.
It’s used in blood-stemming wound dressings, surgical arenas, water and air purification, precious-metal extraction, cosmetics, and food and dietary supplements. Its potential, once the supply of high quality chitin increases, includes delivery systems for tumor-killing drugs that avoid damaging healthy cells; replacement bone and organ building scaffolding; crop production improvement; alternative energy; and biodegradable plastic eliminating the nightmare of plastic bottles and grocery bags littering every water and landscape.
Shrimp cast off their shells during natural growth molting. Their shells are considered waste by commercial processors and frenzied participants in “peel and eat” feasts who have no idea they are throwing out the gold standard of natural polymers. Chitin and its derivatives’ worth ranges from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars per pound for the highest pharmaceutical grade. That is, only if you can extract it and turn it into usable form.
Funding the new extraction process Dr. Aberson will soon tackle, will open up the full potential of the “chitin economy.”
It’s an economy in its infant stages despite the fact that its current value is more than $ 60 billion dollars.
Dr. Aberson’s new challenge eliminates two hurdles keeping chitin from reaching its economic zenith. Chitin plants are literally forbidden in North America and Europe due to the harsh, toxic and polluting process employed. The end product from Asian countries with lax environmental standards is often of inconsistent quality. Further, the supply of raw materials – crustacean exoskeletons – is also sketchy.
Pairing a processing technology that is not only non-toxic but also employs a no-discharge recirculating system similar to that of the GBT aquaculture technology appears a perfect match. The raw material supply issue is also addressed as GBT can supply a constant source of quality shells.
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