Issue 26, 2023

Water-redispersible and high-yield α-chitin nanocrystals isolated using electron-beam irradiation as adsorbents to remove heavy metals and dye

Abstract

An innovative approach to fabricate transparent and redispersible α-chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) with high overall yields was developed in this work for eventual commercial use. The nanomanufacturing process included electron-beam irradiation (EBI) of chitin for oxidation and degradation in the dried state, high-pressure nanoscale homogenization via swelling, CO2 absorption, and spray-drying to obtain dehydrated products. The resulting EBI-disassociated chitins contained increased amounts of carboxylate (0.19–0.27 mmol g−1) and a negligible fraction of D-glucosamine moiety (from ca. 6.5 to <1.0%) with an intrinsic structure identical to α-chitin derived from shrimp shell prior to purification by conventional methods, such as deproteination. The resulting EBI-induced ChNC series exhibited nano-sized and rod-like morphology with tunable lengths averaging 608–259 nm, uniform widths of ca. 16–12 nm, a high isolation yield of max. 81%, and sufficient anionic surface charges, as zeta potentials of −32 to −34 mV indicate that it is homogenously water-dispersible and stable with background transparency. Unlike ChNC prepared by HCl-hydrolysis, the dehydrated particles of EBI-induced ChNCs were clearly redispersible in water and retained the characteristics of the original nanomaterials. We also tested the redispersible EBI-induced ChNCs as effective adsorbents. Their anionic groups interacted with cationic heavy metals (Cu2+ and Fe3+) and organic blue dye via electrostatic attraction, forming robust hydrogels, which were self-supporting after centrifugation. The EBI-induced ChNCs produced with low environmental impact in this work offer a promising choice of adsorbents for the removal of undesirable chemicals during wastewater treatment.

Graphical abstract: Water-redispersible and high-yield α-chitin nanocrystals isolated using electron-beam irradiation as adsorbents to remove heavy metals and dye

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 Feb 2023
Accepted
21 May 2023
First published
09 Jun 2023

Nanoscale, 2023,15, 10990-11004

Water-redispersible and high-yield α-chitin nanocrystals isolated using electron-beam irradiation as adsorbents to remove heavy metals and dye

H. Lee, M. H. Heo, H. Jeong, S. Y. Kim, J. S. Yuk, S. H. Park and J. Shin, Nanoscale, 2023, 15, 10990 DOI: 10.1039/D3NR00760J

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