Preparation and Characterization of Chitosan/Silver Nano-composite and its Application on Nile Water as Antibacterial Materials

Abstract

The prepared chitosan nanocomoposite in this study may demonstrate the potential in optimizing the minimum amount required to achieve complete inactivation of various bacteria in Nile water. The objective of this research is to evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activity of chitosan nanoparticles and silver-loaded nanoparticles against E. coli, S. choleraesuis, S. typhimurium, and S. aureus. Firstly, Chitin was isolated from Jinga shrimp shell waste by sequential chemical treatments and then chitosan was prepared by deacetylation and chemical hydrolysis, respectively. The physicochemical properties of both chitin and/or chitosan were determined (Viscosity, Ash, Protein, Degree of Deacetylation and Molecular Weight). On the other hand, Chitosan nanoparticles were prepared based on the ionic gelation of the prepared chitosan with tripolyphosphate anions. While silver nanoparticles were synthesized using the biosynthesis method in which the solution of aqueous solenostemma argel was used to reduce silver ions. Finally, the prepared silver nanoparticles were dispersed onto the chitosan nanoparticles to prepare chitosan / silver-loaded nanoparticles. The resulted chitosan nanocomposite was characterized by FTIR and SEM. The antibacterial activity of chitosan nanoparticles and silver-loaded nanoparticles were evaluated against the bacteria. Results show an improvement in the inhibition of the growth of various bacteria tested when silver nanoparticles were introduced. Consequently, chitosan silver-loaded nanoparticles could be recommended as an efficient antibacterial material for water disinfection.