Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF THE STABILITY OF CHITOSANBASED BIOCOMPOSITES UNDER VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTALCONDITIONS

Wondalem Misganaw Golie and M.A. Azaz Ahmed

Abstract

Chitosan is naturally derived polysaccharide and has various engineering applications. However, chitosanin its original form is not suitable for practical use due to its sensitivity to wide range of pH and has poormorphological properties and low mechanical stability. The properties and performance of chitosan couldbe improved by crosslinking and formation of composites using appropriate additives. In this study, aneco-friendly chitosan based crosslinked organic-inorganichybrid biocomposites, such as chitosan/Bentonite (ChBT), chitosan/titanium oxide (ChTi), and chitosan/alumina (ChAl); were prepared and thestabilities of the prepared biocomposites were evaluated under acidic and aqueous environments. Thestabilities of the prepared biocomposites were evaluated under acidic and aqueous environments. Stabilityof ChBT, ChTi, and ChAl in acidic solution increased with increase in crosslinker and inorganic doses.Similarly, the stability of the prepared biocomposites increased in aqueous environment. ChAl has shownthe highest stability in both conditions.