Emerging applications of chitosan: From biology to environment

Abstract

Chitosan one of the polysaccharide family own unique hydrogen bonding dedicates it to many applications. Many researchers reported the biological applications of chitosan according to its biodegradable nature. Many research papers are interested in the production of chitosan and its various applications in different fields. Chitosan is a potential biopolymer in food processing applications, drug delivery systems formulations, and industrial and energy production processes. The application of chitosan in the field of aquatic environment is as important as biological field as it is so called green method for safe environmental protection. The remediation of some harmful materials including pharmaceutical residues from wastewater is new trends whereas chitosan and its derivatives are dedicated to solve many problems in that field. The present review gave some introduction to some problem in the aquatic environment then it gives some remarks on the possible applications of chitosan in this field. The present review will cover the following points: some applications of chitosan, importance of environmental issues, the occurrence of medical residues in the environment, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), a common mechanism for removal of PPCPs, PPCPs removal following cost effective adsorption route, role of chitosan and its derivatives, role of molecular modeling, recent developments and conclusion.