Dissolution and deacetylation of chitin in ionic liquid tetrabutylammonium hydroxide and its cascade reaction in enzyme treatment for chitin recycling

Chitin is the second most abundant renewable polymer on earth, and its deacetylated derivative, chitosan, is a highly useful biopolymer. This work studied for the first time the application of ionic liquid (IL) tetrabutylammonium hydroxide ([TBA][OH]) and chitin deacetylase from Rhodococcus equi CGMCC14861 (ReCDA) for the efficient conversion of chitin into chitosan at room temperature. Results confirmed that chitin had good solubility in 18 wt% aqueous [TBA][OH] solution at 80 ℃. In addition, efficient chitin deactylation was observed with high concentrations of [TBA][OH] exceeding 12 wt% and showing potential application in chitin conversion. ReCDA activity on chitin was activated by [TBA][OH] pretreatment. Sequential and simultaneous strategies were also compared, and the results showed that the simultaneous one-pot deacetylation provided the highest acetic acid yield of 3.78 mg/g chitin powder after 24 h. This study serves as a guide for the dissolution and deacetylation of chitin to produce high value-added chitosan products.