Shell waste has potential in aggregates
Disposing of shell waste is a major financial burden on the shellfish industry, according to Michaela Archer, Seafish project manager.
“Disposal costs can be as high as £150 per tonne so the industry is constantly looking at ways to reduce the cost of disposal, and even potentially generate an income from this waste”, she said It is estimated that the UK produces around 43,000 t/year of shell, which could be practically used by the construction and building industry as a constituent part of the aggregate used in certain applications, Archer explained. The Seafish project focused on using free clean shells from, for example, mussels and oysters, and looked at simple, relatively low cost bulk aggregate applications to identify how suitable they were. Archer says this could potentially be a viable market: “Supplying shell to the aggregates market can reduce disposal costs. Although in some cases the supply of shell may only provide a cost-neutral solution for processors, that in itself is a benefit.
“In other cases an economic return and small profit is feasible. But it does require significant effort on the part of seafood processors to realise the benefits.”
