Globally, around half of the annual crustacean catches, equivalent to approximately 7 million tons, become shell waste. This waste is often improperly disposed of, leading to significant environmental issues.

A large portion of this waste consists of chitin, which can be converted into chitosan – an environmentally friendly and biodegradable polymer with a wide range of applications, including biodegradable and antimicrobial food packaging, bioplastics, biopesticides, pollutant filters, and medical products such as wound dressings.

Currently, this conversion process is inefficient and burdensome to the environment due to the heavy use of harsh chemicals. Therefore, partners in this project aim to develop and test a specific enzyme for higher activity that can convert chitin into chitosan in simple steps that are gentle to the environment.

Thus, the project focuses on removing barriers to an environmentally friendly and cost-effective strategy for upcycling shell waste while producing valuable bio-based materials.