http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-625-chitosan.aspx?

activeingredientid=625&activeingredientname=chitosan
"Chitosan: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions and Warnings - WebMD." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 12
Feb. 2015.

Chitosan is from the outer skeleton of shellfish, and it is commonly used for medicinal purposes.
It is used to treat obesity, high cholesterol, anemia, kidney failure and insomnia. It is also used to
treat inflammation in the gums that can cause tooth loss and is chewed in gum to prevent
cavities. It is also applied to places where donor tissue has been taken to facilitate the rebuilding
of tissue. It is used to improve how drugs dissolve, and masks the bitter tastes in some medicine
taken orally.
Chitosan is used to treat obesity, high cholesterol, and Crohns disease. It is also used to treat
complications that kidney failure patients on dialysis often face, including high cholesterol,
tired blood (anemia), loss of strength and appetite, and trouble sleeping (insomnia).
Some people apply chitosan directly to their gums to treat inflammation that can lead
to tooth loss (periodontitis), or chew gum that contains chitosan to prevent cavities (dental
caries).
In an effort to help donor tissue rebuild itself, plastic surgeons sometimes apply chitosan
directly to places from which they have taken tissue to be used elsewhere.
In pharmaceutical manufacturing, chitosan is used as a filler in tablets; as a carrier in
controlled-release drugs; to improve the way certain drugs dissolve; and to mask bitter tastes in
solutions taken by mouth.

http://www.bio-pro.de/artikel/04354/index.html?lang=en
Bioplastics Made from Crayfish. Biotechnology / Life Sciences in Baden-Wrttemberg BioLog. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.

Chitosan can be used as a biological flocculation agent. Flocculation is the process of clumping
fine particulates into a floc. The floc then floats or settles, and can subsequently be removed.
BioLog GMBH has developed the flocculation aid HEPPIX, which can be used to flocculate
organic material, waste, sludge and other water pollutants. The binding of these heavy metals
through chitosan makes these heavy metals easier to remove. It can also be used to flocculate

liquid manure in garden ponds and swimming basins and to separate food from water when
processing food.
The properties of chitosan depend mainly on the degree of deacetylation, its molar mass and the ash content of the polymer. "These parameters
are subject to strict controls at BioLog GmbH," said Anke Wunder, Head of Marketing at BioLog GmbH. Controlled technological processing is
an important prerequisite for defined, long-lasting product quality in different industrial areas. BioLog GmbH has developed a method for the
environmentally friendly and economic production of the biopolymers. The plants have a high degree of automation and can be used in modules
for the following processing steps: from the preparation of the crustacean shells to the production of chitin and chitosan.Examples of the
application of the bioplastic ( BioLog)
The cationic polysaccharide chitosan is used, amongst other things, as a biological flocculation agent. BioLOG GmbH has developed the
cationic flocculation aid HEPPIX, which is used for the flocculation and dehydration of organic and mineral wastewater and sludge. "The
binding of heavy metals through chitosan leads to a complex that flocculates and can subsequently be removed," explains Wunder. HEPPIX can
also be used for the flocculation of algae in garden ponds and swimming basins, for the concentration of liquid manure and for the solid/liquid
separation of process water in the food industry.

http://www.materialsforengineering.co.uk/engineering-materials-news/bioplastic-engineeredfrom-shrimp-shells/59924/
"Bioplastic Engineered from Shrimp Shells." Engineering Materials. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.

Chitosan is a readily available and inexpensive natural polymer, and is the second most abundant
organic material in the world. It can possible be used an alternative for conventional plastics that
are not biodegradable, and it has numerous applications in different industries. It can be
processed into a material that can be used in traditional casting or injection molding to create
complex shapes. It also breaks down after two weeks, and releases nutrients that can help in the
growth of plant life.
Bioplastic engineered from shrimp shells
Researchers in the US have found a way to manufacture everyday objects using a fully degradable bioplastic isolated from shrimp shells.
The material was created using a natural polymer called chitosan, the second most abundant organic material on Earth.
Led by Postdoctoral Fellow Javier Fernandez, the team from Harvard University's Wyss Institute developed a new way to process the material so
that it can be used to fabricate large, 3D objects with complex shapes, using traditional casting or injection moulding manufacturing techniques.
What's more, not only does the chitosan bioplastic break down when returned to the environment within about two weeks, it also releases
nutrients that support plant growth.
Fernandez commented: "There is an urgent need in many industries for sustainable materials that can be mass produced.

"Our scalable manufacturing method shows that chitosan, which is readily available and inexpensive, can serve as a viable bioplastic that could
potentially be used instead of conventional plastics for numerous industrial applications."

After fully characterising how factors like temperature and concentration affect the mechanical properties of chitosan on a molecular level, the
researchers honed in on a method that produced a pliable liquid crystal material that was 'just right' for use in large-scale manufacturing
methods.
Significantly, they also found that adding wood flour, a waste product from wood processing, prevented the problem of shrinkage, whereby the
chitosan polymer fails to maintain its original shape after the injection moulding process.
The next challenge is for the team to refine the chitosan fabrication methods so that they can take them out of the laboratory, and move them into
a commercial manufacturing facility with an industrial partner.