Chitosan as a raw material in the production of alternative foams

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Porous plastic materials such as expanded polystyrene (EPS) and polyurethane foam have various applications, for example EPS is used in the construction field, in the manufacture of containers, packaging and other purposes, since it is characterized by acting as a thermal insulator, for its lightness, shock absorption, chemical and mechanical resistance to moisture, among others, while polyurethane foam is used as a filling for mattresses, furniture, car seats and many other padded or stuffed items.

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Expanded polystyrene and polyurethane foam. Image credit:1;2

The raw material used to obtain EPS is expandable polystyrene, a styrene polymer derived from petroleum. The transformation process basically consists of a pre-expansion stage, resting and stabilization, expansion and final molding. Polyurethane foam, on the other hand, is also produced from petroleum products by various methods involving various ingredients and chemical reactions.

However, these materials are non-biodegradable, that is, they do not decompose or disappear in the environment, which is why it should be noted that they represent an environmental problem if they are not disposed of correctly, it is a product that accumulates, so they end up in landfills or are incinerated, causing environmental problems if they are not properly disposed of. On the other hand, they can reach the oceans, causing contamination and being ingested by marine animals, causing death in some cases.

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Image credit:wikipedia.org

In view of this, several studies have been carried out in order to look for alternative renewable raw materials that minimize the impact, among them are foams of biological origin such as chitosan cellulose or chitosan.

Chitosan is derived from chitin, a polysaccharide found in the exoskeleton of various crustaceans such as lobster, crab and shrimp. Among its properties is that it is insoluble in water, in basic media and in most organic solvents, and soluble in aqueous solutions of organic and inorganic acids so that solutions of different viscosities are obtained.

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Chitosan molecule. Image credit:1,2

In a study carried out by Lujan L. and other collaborators, it is shown how a simple and low-cost method can be used to obtain the alternative foam.

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Imagen credit:Image made in power point @yusvelasquez

This study was based on a factorial design where three factors were evaluated including chitosan content, foaming agent concentration and foaming time and their influence on the bulk density and mechanical properties.

Among the most relevant results were low foam densities ranging from 0.06 to 0.12 g/cm3, good mechanical performance (elastic modulus: 0.18-1.20 MPa, compressive strength: 0.02-0.11 MPa), excellent thermal insulation properties (thermal conductivities: 0.03-0.04 W/mK) and high biodegradation rates.It was also found that increasing the chitosan content improved water resistance and mechanical strength.

Therefore, it was concluded from this study that these alternative foams can be used in applications where thermal insulation, mechanical resistance and water stability are a priority, since they represent a good and more environmentally friendly option.

The studies conducted in relation to plastic materials are of great importance, due to the large production and use today, generating a large flow of waste that produce environmental pollution by not disposing them properly, so new biodegradable and sustainable products can be used as alternatives in various processes to reduce dependence on raw materials of fossil origin for the production of plastics.

So far this post friends, thanks for reading!

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6 comments
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Interesting! Some colleagues were using Chitosan to capture exocellular vesicles in the blood !
!1UP

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