Figure 12.

Overview of the methods used for isolation of (a) ChNF and (b) ChNC. ChNF containing crystalline and disordered structures is produced by (a1) mechanical treatment or mechanical treatment assisted by (a2) chemical modification and (a3) biological processing. The main goal of the chemical and biological modifications is to endow additional chemical features that facilitate mechanical fibrillation. ChNC is produced by surface exfoliation and by removal of disordered chitin structures using strong chemical processing with acids or oxidizing agents.