Chitin is the second most widely available natural fiber with diverse applications. Insect chitin is gaining popularity over the last decade. Black soldier fly is a widely known insect with waste management potential. In this study, chitin was isolated from Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) pupae exuvia (BSFE) and imago (BSFI). The chitin content was found to be 9% and 23% for pupae exuviae and imago respectively. Both the chitins were α-chitin. The degree of acetylation (DA) confirms that BSFE chitin has higher purity than BSFI chitin. The BSFE chitin is more amorphous than BSFI chitin. The crystallinity index (CrI) for BSFE and BSFI chitin was 25.20% and 49.4%, respectively. Both the chitins had good thermal stability with a maximum degradation (DTG_Max) of BSFI and BSFE chitin at 363 °C and 371 °C, respectively. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) study showed that chitin from BSFI was mesoporous with well defined cylindrical pore channels while the chitin from BSFE was non-porous. The surface area of BSFE and BSFI chitin was 1.63 and 23.00 m²/g respectively. Both the chitin had a smooth microfibrillar structure with repeating units. Based on the physicochemical characteristics of the BSF-derived chitin it can find promising commercial applications in tissue engineering, textile industry and as an adsorbent in water and wastewater treatment.

几丁质是第二广泛使用的天然纤维，用途广泛。在过去十年中，甲壳质昆虫越来越流行。黑战士苍蝇是一种广为人知的昆虫，具有废物管理的潜力。在这项研究中，几丁质是从黑实蝇（Hermetia illucens）ex（BSFE）和伊马戈（BSFI）中分离得到的。发现ex虫和意马的甲壳素含量分别为9％和23％。两种甲壳质均为α-甲壳质。乙酰化程度（DA）证实BSFE几丁质的纯度高于BSFI几丁质。BSFE几丁质比BSFI几丁质更无定形。BSFE和BSFI几丁质的结晶度指数（CrI）分别为25.20％和49.4％。两种几丁质均具有良好的热稳定性，且降解最大（DTG_最大值）分别在363°C和371°C下的BSFI和BSFE几丁质。Brunauer-Emmett-Teller（BET）研究表明，BSFI的几丁质是介孔的，具有明确的圆柱形孔道，而BSFE的几丁质是无孔的。BSFE和BSFI几丁质的表面积分别为1.63和23.00m ² / g。两种甲壳质均具有光滑的微纤维结构，具有重复单元。基于BSF衍生的几丁质的理化特性，它可以在组织工程，纺织工业中用作有前景的商业应用，并作为水和废水处理中的吸附剂。