The disposal of shellfish waste is a serious issue and the existing waste management system lacks a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method to process crab shell waste. The current research focuses on the green extraction of a biopolymer (chitosan) from crab shells by eco- friendly methods utilizing citric acid and glycerol and the extracted chitosan was employed in the treatment of refinery wastewater. The green extraction of chitosan was carried out using citric acid and glycerol. The characterisation of the extracted biopolymer was performed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis, and Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA).
Major Objectives:
(i) Collection of crab shells (ii) Extraction of biopolymers from crab shell by green extraction technique (iii) Characterization of the extracted biopolymers using SEM-EDX, FTIR, XRD, UV–Visible spectroscopy & TGA (iv) Perform batch treatment of refinery wastewater and optimization of the processing parameters. (v) Feasibility studies to assess the socioeconomic benefits to Oman.
Research Team:
1. Khadija Al Balushi (Team Leader) 2. Alaa Saif Al Hudaifi (Team Member) 3. Amira Suleiman Rashid Khamis Al Garibi (Team Member) 4. Dr Geetha Devi (Supervisor)