Municipal Land Fill Management
In YangJiang there is a substantial seafood processing industry. Currently, crustacean (shrimp, crab and lobster) shells are disposed of in land fill, hence creating an environmental problem. Chitin is a cellulose material extracted from crustaceans and other arthropods and has remarkable properties for:
- Medical Applications - Chitin-coated sutures enhance healing time by 35 - 50% and chitin sutures are absorbed by the body, eliminating the need for surgical removal. Chitin is used to make dressings for burns, surface wounds, and skin-graft donor sites. Other medical uses include anti-bacterial sponges and hospital dressings, artificial blood vessels, contact lenses, tumor inhibition, dental plaque inhibition, and blood cholesterol control. Household products include sponges, diapers, feminine napkins, and tampons;
- Water Treatment - chitin can also be used to extract organic materials, such as oils, detergents, toxic organic compounds (such as PCBs) and other contaminants suspended in wastewater;
- Dietary Supplements – Chitosan has properties similar to plant fibre and can significantly bind fat, acting like a sponge in the digestive tract. It is not digestible itself and the bound fat leaves via the body without ever entering the bloodstream;
- Cosmetics – make-up powder, nail polish, moisturizers, face, hand and body creams; and toothpaste are just a few consumer products that might contain chitin; and
- Agriculture – Seeds treated with chitosan are larger and stronger and more resistant to fungal diseases. Treating seeds with chitin can increase crop yields by up to 50%.
Rayner AAM proposes to establish a world class chitin processing facility in YangJiang and thereafter establish other similar facilities in the key crustacean processing centres of the world.
