Environmental Impact Assessment of Chitin Nanofibril and Nanocrystal Isolation from Fungi, Shrimp Shells, and Crab Shells

Chitin nanoparticles are responsible for the outstanding mechanical properties found in exoskeletons of crustaceans and finding applications many scientific technological fields. Following a Circular Economy approach, diverse biomass wastes can be valorized to reintroduced back into economic cycle while preventing biowaste landfill upon isolation chitin nanoparticles. Novel environmentally sustainable paths over conventional nanoparticle extraction involving harsh acid-hydrolysis treatments from crustacean shells have been recently proposed. In particular, fungi emerge as an attractive alternative provided demineralization process with acids such HCl is circumvented. spite this recognized virtue, no works quantified environmental impacts these processes. The life-cycle assessment methodology applied close gap quantify cradle-to-gate nanofibril fungi. results compared nanocrystal hydrolytic processes shrimp shells, powder, crab together sulfuric-acid-induced hydrolysis microcrystalline cellulose nanocrystals. Eighteen impact indicators analyzed scaling-up laboratory quantities treating 1 kg biowastes. A global warming potential value 18.5 kg·CO2-equiv per nanofibrils obtained, well below 906.8, 105.2, 543.5, 177.9 CO2-equiv·kg–1 values obtained nanocrystals nanocrystals, respectively. sensitivity analysis shows 10.1–62.6% decrease minimum 14.7 considering 95% recirculation solvent/NaOH, highlighting character application materials devices explored. These provide novel cues friendly synthesis nanochitin, guiding implementation approaches field