CHEMICAL PULPING OF CHITINOUS BIOMASS FOR CHITIN
First Claim
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1. A method for separating chitin from a chitinous biomass that contains chitin and non-chitin material, comprising:
- contacting the chitinous biomass with a protic ionic liquid to form a mixture, wherein a majority of the non-chitin material from the chitinous biomass is removed from the chitinous biomass by the ionic liquid, and a majority of the chitin from the chitinous biomass is not dissolved in the ionic liquid and forms a residue;
wherein about 30 wt. % or more of the residue is chitin.
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Abstract
Methods of separating chitin from a chitinous biomass that contains chitin and non-chitin material by a chemical pulping process that uses a protic ionic liquid or a composition comprising acid and base precursor molecules are described. Also described are methods for purifying chemically pulped chitin resulting in a pure chitin material with a high molecular weight and a higher degree of acetylation in comparison to traditional pulping and ionic liquid extraction based methods.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method for separating chitin from a chitinous biomass that contains chitin and non-chitin material, comprising:
- contacting the chitinous biomass with a protic ionic liquid to form a mixture, wherein a majority of the non-chitin material from the chitinous biomass is removed from the chitinous biomass by the ionic liquid, and a majority of the chitin from the chitinous biomass is not dissolved in the ionic liquid and forms a residue;
wherein about 30 wt. % or more of the residue is chitin. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
- contacting the chitinous biomass with a protic ionic liquid to form a mixture, wherein a majority of the non-chitin material from the chitinous biomass is removed from the chitinous biomass by the ionic liquid, and a majority of the chitin from the chitinous biomass is not dissolved in the ionic liquid and forms a residue;
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11. A method for separating chitin from a chitinous biomass that contains chitin and non-chitin material, comprising contacting the chitinous biomass with an acid and a base, in any order, to form a mixture, wherein a majority of the non-chitin material from the chitinous biomass is removed from the chitinous biomass by the acid-base composition, and a majority of the chitin from the chitinous biomass is not dissolved in the acid-base composition and forms a residue;
- wherein about 30% or more of the residue is chitin.
- View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A composition, comprising:
- a chitinous biomass and a protic ionic liquid.
- View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
Specification