Industrial Consultancy & Sponsored Research (IC&SR) , IIT Madras
Acid- And Solvent- Free Mild Method for the Preparation of Nanocrystals of Chitin and Cellulose
Technology Category/Market
Category – Green Technology, Advanced materials
Applications –Waste treatment, biopolymer, manufacturing, Food processing
Industry –Nanotechnology ,Health care,, Environmental Engineering, Food industry
Market –Chitin Market size was valued at $42.29 Billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $69.297 Billion in 2028, growing at a CAGR of 5.07% from 2021 to 2028. Cellulose market size was USD 219.53 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 305.08 billion by 2026, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.2% during the forecast period.
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Problem Statement
- In the process of isolating nanocrystals, only a small fraction of the biomass is transformed into value-added material while the massive quantity of effluent generated requires further purification
- Hence, there is additional requirement of reducing the hazards to the environment, recovery of by products, cost, processing time (including dialysis), water, and energy
Technology
- A process for producing biopolymer nanocrystals and carbon nanodots, the process comprising the steps of.
- Thermally treating biopolymer raw material to form fragments
- Treating the fragments to separate biopolymer nanocrystals and carbon nanodots.
- The biopolymer raw material for chitin is prawn shell and for cellulose is cotton and pulp sheets.
- Upon controlled treatment, the polymeric chains in the amorphous regions are fragmented leading to the formation of chitin/cellulose nanocrystals
- After the thermal treatment the fragments are oxidized with 1% sodium hypochlorite or 5% hydrogen peroxide to remove the carbonized          organic matter, forming chitin nanocrystals cellulose and carbon nanorods exhibiting green fluroscence
- Further, microscopic and spectroscopic analysis confirm the formation of chitin and cellulose. nanocrystals
Key Features/Value Proposition
Technical perspective
- Applied to automotive engines operated with low volatility fuels like diesel, under HCCI mode so as to meet the very stringent NOX and PM emission mandates
- The fuel injection pressure and the temperature of the anti chamber surface can be varied depending upon the volatility of the fuel by a control system for rapidly vaporizing the injected fuel.
- The anti chamber can be also heated by utilizing engine exhaust gas or through the combined effects of exhaust gas, an electric heater and engine coolant
User perspective
- The proposed external mixture preparation technique can be implemented by automobile manufacturers with minimal changes in the intake system
Questions about this Technology?
Contact for Licensing
Research Lab
Prof. DHAMODHARAN R
Department of Chemistry
Intellectual Property
- IITM IDF Ref. 1742
- IN406874 (PATENT GRANTED)
Technology Readiness Level
TRL-4
Technology Validated in Lab