Radiation-induced degradation of chitosan for possible use as a growth promoter in agricultural purposes

Controlling the degradation of chitosan by gamma ray from a 60Co source in the in presence of initiators such as ammonium per-sulfate and hydrogen peroxide, was investigated. The factors affecting the degradation process such as irradiation dose, type of initiator and its concentrations were studied. The efficiency of these methods was verified by viscometric and GPC analysis and the average molecular weight of degraded chitosan were determined. The irradiation degradation in the presence of chemical initiator was much more appropriate from economical point of view because it reduced the irradiation doses required for degradation. Characterization of degraded polymer by FT-IR spectroscopy, UV–vis spectroscopy, XRD, ESR and TGA analysis was investigated. The water-soluble chitosan separated from degraded chitosan prepared at different irradiation doses showed a strong effect on the growth of Faba bean plant and can be used in agriculture fields as a growth promoter.