Artur Bartkowiak Center of Bioimmobilisation and Innovative Packaging Materials, Faculty of Food Sciences and Fisheries, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin, Poland

Leen Bastiaens VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research), Mol, Belgium

Silvia Bautista‐Baños Centro de Desarrollo de Productos Bióticos (CEPROBI), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Yautepec, Morelos, Mexico

Nathalie Berezina Ynsect, Évry, France

Carmen G. Boeriu Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands

Leonie Bossog Textilchemie Dr. Petry GmbH, Reutlingen, Germany

Suse Botelho da Silva Food and Chemical Engineering, Polytechnic School, Unisinos University, São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil

Rudi Breier Textilchemie Dr. Petry GmbH, Reutlingen, Germany

Lambertus A.M. van den Broek Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands

Kinga Brzoza‐Malczewska Institute of Biopolymers and Chemical Fibres, Lodz, Poland

Corneliu Cojocaru ‘Petru Poni’ Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy, Iaşi, Romania

Véronique Coma University of Bordeaux, LCPO, UMR 5629, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Pessac, France

Stefan Cord‐Landwehr University of Münster, Institute for Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Münster, Germany

Zormy Nacary Correa‐Pacheco CONACYT‐CEPROBI, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Yautepec, Morelos, Mexico

Els D’Hondt VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research), Mol, Belgium

Liyou Dong Food & Health Research, Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands; Food Chemistry, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

Hermann Ehrlich Institute of Electronics and Sensor Materials, TU Bergakademie‐Freiberg, Freiberg, Germany

Vincent G.H. Eijsink Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Food Science, The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway

Kathy Elst VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research), Mol, Belgium

Wen Fang Institute of Biomedical Macromolecules, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

Maria Emiliana Fortuna ‘Petru Poni’ Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy, Iaşi, Romania

Coen Govers Food & Health Research, Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands

Natalia Gutowska Institute of Biopolymers and Chemical Fibres, Lodz, Poland

Karolina Gzyra‐Jagieła Institute of Biopolymers and Chemical Fibres, Lodz, Poland

Tom Hager German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research, Denkendorf, Germany

Thomas Hahn Fraunhofer Institute of Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology, Stuttgart, Germany

Valeria Harabagiu ‘Petru Poni’ Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy, Iaşi, Romania

Antoine Hubert Ynsect, Évry, France

Andra Cristina Humelnicu ‘Petru Poni’ Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy, Iaşi, Romania

Maria Ignat ‘Petru Poni’ Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy, Iaşi, Romania

Teofil Jesionowski Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Poznan University of Technology, Poznan, Poland

Yvonne Joseph Institute of Electronics and Sensor Materials, TU Bergakademie‐Freiberg, Freiberg, Germany

Malgorzata Kaisler Bioprocess Engineering Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands; Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands

Christine Klinger Institute of Physical Chemistry, TU Bergakademie‐Freiberg, Freiberg, Germany

Cristiane Krause Santin Food and Chemical Engineering, Polytechnic School, Unisinos University, São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil; itt CHIP – Unisinos Semiconductor Institute, São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil

Magdalena Kucharska Institute of Biopolymers and Chemical Fibres, Lodz, Poland

Liziane Dantas Lacerda Food and Chemical Engineering, Polytechnic School, Unisinos University, São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil

Guilherme Lopes Batista itt CHIP – Unisinos Semiconductor Institute, São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil

Longina Madej‐Kiełbik The Institute of Security Technologies “MORATEX”, Lodz, Poland

Sophanit Mekasha Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Food Science, The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway

Bruno M. Moerschbacher University of Münster, Institute for Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Münster, Germany

Anna Niehues University of Münster, Institute for Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Münster, Germany

Monika Owczarek Institute of Biopolymers and Chemical Fibres, Lodz, Poland

Xenia Patras ‘Petru Poni’ Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy, Iaşi, Romania

Bożenna Pęczek Institute of Biopolymers and Chemical Fibres, Lodz, Poland

Cristian Peptu ‘Petru Poni’ Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy, Iaşi, Romania

Iaroslav Petrenko Institute of Experimental Physics, TU Bergakademie‐Freiberg, Freiberg, Germany

Razvan Rotaru ‘Petru Poni’ Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy, Iaşi, Romania

Petrisor Samoila ‘Petru Poni’ Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy, Iaşi, Romania

Monika Sikora Institute of Biopolymers and Chemical Fibres, Lodz, Poland

Lise Soetemans VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research), Mol, Belgium

Daiana de Souza Food and Chemical Engineering, Polytechnic School, Unisinos University, São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil

Thomas Stegmaier German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research, Denkendorf, Germany

Marcin H. Struszczyk The Institute of Security Technologies “MORATEX”, Lodz, Poland

Bogdan Ionel Tamba A&B Pharm Corporation, Roman, Neamţ, Romania

Mirela Teodorescu ‘Petru Poni’ Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy, Iaşi, Romania

Tina Rise Tuveng Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Food Science, The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway

Gustav Vaaje‐Kolstad Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Food Science, The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway

Rosa Isela Ventura‐Aguilar CONACYT‐CEPROBI, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Yautepec, Morelos, Mexico

Zhengke Wang Institute of Biomedical Macromolecules, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

Jasper Wattjes University of Münster, Institute for Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Münster, Germany

Harry J. Wichers Food & Health Research, Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands; Food Chemistry, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

Maria Wiśniewska‐Wrona Institute of Biopolymers and Chemical Fibres, Lodz, Poland

Werner Wunderlich German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research, Denkendorf, Germany

Marcin Wysokowski Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Poznan University of Technology, Poznan, Poland; Institute of Electronics and Sensor Materials, TU Bergakademie‐Freiberg, Freiberg, Germany

Ling Yang Institute of Biomedical Macromolecules, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

Susanne Zibek Fraunhofer Institute of Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology, Stuttgart, Germany

Dorota Zielin&c.acute;ska The Institute of Security Technologies “MORATEX”, Lodz, Poland

Sonia Żółtowska Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Poznan University of Technology, Poznan, Poland; Institute of Electronics and Sensor Materials, TU Bergakademie‐Freiberg, Freiberg, Germany

Renewable resources, their use and modification are involved in a multitude of important processes with a major influence on our everyday lives. Applications can be found in the energy sector; paints and coatings; and the chemical, pharmaceutical, and textile industry, to name but a few.

The area interconnects several scientific disciplines (agriculture, biochemistry, chemistry, technology, environmental sciences, forestry), which makes it very difficult to have an expert view on the complicated interaction. Therefore, the idea to create a series of scientific books, focusing on specific topics concerning renewable resources, has been very opportune and can help to clarify some of the underlying connections in this area.

In a very fast‐changing world, trends are not only characteristic of fashion and political standpoints; science too is not free from hypes and buzzwords. The use of renewable resources is again more important nowadays; however, it is not part of a hype or a fashion. As the lively discussions among scientists continue about how many years we will still be able to use fossil fuels – opinions ranging from 50 to 500 years – they do agree that the reserve is limited, and that it is essential not only to search for new energy carriers but also for new material sources.

In this respect, the field of renewable resources is a crucial area in the search for alternatives for fossil‐based raw materials and energy. In the field of energy supply, biomass‐ and renewables‐based resources will be part of the solution alongside other alternatives such as solar energy, wind energy, hydraulic power, hydrogen technology and nuclear energy. In the field of material sciences, the impact of renewable resources will probably be even bigger. Integral utilisation of crops and the use of waste streams in certain industries will grow in importance, leading to a more sustainable way of producing materials. Although our society was much more (almost exclusively) based on renewable resources centuries ago, this disappeared in the Western world in the nineteenth century. Now it is time to focus again on this field of research. However, it should not mean a ‘retour à la nature’, but should be a multidisciplinary effort on a highly technological level to perform research towards new opportunities, to develop new crops and products from renewable resources. This will be essential to guarantee an acceptable level of comfort for the growing number of people living on our planet. It is ‘the’ challenge for the coming generations of scientists to develop more sustainable ways to create prosperity and to fight poverty and hunger in the world. A global approach is certainly favoured.

This challenge can only be dealt with if scientists are attracted to this area and are recognised for their efforts in this interdisciplinary field. It is, therefore, also essential that consumers recognise the fate of renewable resources in a number of products.

Furthermore, scientists do need to communicate and discuss the relevance of their work. The use and modification of renewable resources may not follow the path of the genetic engineering concept in view of consumer acceptance in Europe. Related to this aspect, the series will certainly help to increase the visibility of the importance of renewable resources. Being convinced of the value of the renewables approach for the industrial world, as well as for developing countries, I was myself delighted to collaborate on this series of books focusing on the different aspects of renewable resources. I hope that readers become aware of the complexity, the interaction and interconnections, and the challenges of this field, and that they will help to communicate on the importance of renewable resources.

I certainly want to thank the people of Wiley’s Chichester office, especially David Hughes, Jenny Cossham and Lyn Roberts, in seeing the need for such a series of books on renewable resources, for initiating and supporting it, and for helping to carry the project to the end.

Last, but not least, I want to thank my family, especially my wife Hilde and children Paulien and Pieter‐Jan, for their patience, and for giving me the time to work on the series when other activities seemed to be more inviting.

Chitin was reported for the first time about 200 years ago, in extracts of mushrooms and insects. About 40 years later, chitosan was obtained from chitin by acid treatment. These polysaccharides are among the most abundant natural biopolymers in the world. They are, for example, present in crustaceans, insects and fungi. Just before World War II, there was a huge interest in the applications of these polysaccharides as a bioplastic. However, the simultaneous upcoming of synthetic polymers and the exponential increase in high‐performance synthetic polymers, which outperformed their natural counterparts, resulted in a decrease of interest in chitin/chitosan materials. In the 1970s, large‐scale production of chitin and chitosan from the shells of marine organisms started, owing to the development of aquaculture and the enactment of severe environmental regulations to decrease the amount of shellfish dumping in the oceans. Nowadays there is a need to be less dependent on fossil resources. The transition to a biobased economy and the increasing societal demand for more green and environmentally friendly products urge us to look for chemicals, materials and fuels based on renewable resources. The enormous potential of chitin and chitosan on account of their abundance, unique properties and numerous applications makes them interesting biomass resources. This book, Chitin and Chitosan: Properties and Applications, shows the state‐of‐the‐art and future perspectives of chitin and chitosan materials and applications. The book presents the most recent developments in the science and technology of all related fields, from extraction and characterisation to modification, material synthesis and end‐user applications. This book comprises 19 chapters that deal with most topics related to chitin and chitosan polymers and materials.

In Chapters 1–4, the sources of chitin and chitosan are described and how these biopolymers can be isolated. Next to the isolation, the analysis of the biopolymers is described. The different sources and/or isolation methods can result in different structures and properties. In Chapter 5–7, hydrogels, health effects and the anti‐microbial effects of chitin and chitosan are discussed. To improve or to modify the properties, enzymes and chemical reactions can be applied to customise these biopolymers, as shown in Chapters 8–10. The applications of chitin and chitosan in drug delivery, medical devices, agriculture, food, packaging, horticulture, textile, water purification and sensors are discussed in more detail in Chapters 11–18. And finally, Chapter 19 is devoted to the market and regulation of chitin and chitosan.

These topics have never been addressed previously in a single book. Books, book chapters and reviews have been dedicated to the specific fields of application of chitin and chitosan materials. This book presents an overview of the latest scientific and technological advances in almost all areas of application, and show the great potential of chitin and chitosan as materials of the future. We hope that the reader will be inspired by the examples given of these biopolymers in different areas. We are confident that chitin and chitosan will become major renewable resources in the biobased circular economy.

This book should be useful for scholars and those in academia, such as undergraduate and postgraduate students in the areas of agriculture, polymer and material sciences, biobased economy and life sciences. In addition, we hope this book will aid researchers and specialists from industry in the field of (bio)polymers, packaging, biomedical applications, water treatment, textiles, sensors, and agriculture and food – as well as regional and national policy‐makers.

The input is from well‐known experts from all over the world. We would like to express our great gratitude to all chapter authors of this book, who have made excellent contributions. In addition, we would like to thank Sarah Higginbotham, Emma Strickland and Lesley Jebaraj from Wiley for all their help.