Abstract

The production of chitosan in medium-scale industries is still highly dependent on hazardous chemicals and energy-intensive processes, leading to significant environmental impacts and occupational safety risks. This study aims to develop a risk-based green production strategy for chitosan by integrating Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP), Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), and environmental performance assessment. The research was conducted using a quantitative–descriptive approach based on baseline production data from a medium- scale chitosan process with a capacity of 10 kg of raw material per batch.
The results show that the total processing time reached 16 hours per batch with a chitosan yield of 26%. Chemical consumption remained relatively high, at 0.075 kg NaOH/kg raw material and 0.11 kg HCl/kg raw material, generating 80 L of liquid waste per batch with extreme pH values. Risk analysis identified deproteinization and demineralization stages as critical control points, with Risk Priority Number (RPN) values of 112 and 96, respectively, indicating high operational risk. Environmental performance analysis revealed energy consumption of 6.9 kWh/kg chitosan and water consumption of 61.5 L/kg chitosan.
The findings demonstrate that integrating risk mitigation with green production principles provides a systematic basis for reducing chemical usage, improving process safety, and enhancing environmental efficiency. This study contributes a practical baseline framework for sustainable chitosan production in medium-scale industries and supports the transition toward green and safer industrial practices.