SUSTAINABLE TREATMENT

OF WASTE USING

RECYCLED CHITOSAN:

STOWURC

2

LEGISLATION DRIVING CHANGE

3

Animal by-products

Regulation (EC

Regulation 1069/2009)

By-products not intended

for human consumption

can be a risk to public &

animal health. Past

events have wide spread

impacts on both the

industry sector &

consumer confidence.

Discarded shells

must be sanitized

first: free-of-flesh.

For the fishing

company this is an

expense (time &

resources).

Traditionally,

discarded shells

were returned to

the sea. This has

ceased in order

to protect marine

ecosystems.

Disposal in

landfill or via

incineration incurs

a cost, & is

associated with

environmental

impacts.

Transportation

of waste shells

is an additional

expense for the

fishing

companies.

SHELLFISH MARKET

25%

4

Shellfish vs. Seafood

landings in the UK

Over the past 5 years, the entire UK seafood industry has seen 3-5% growth in the industry’s

economic value.

Shell waste derived from crabs accounts to 7,000 tonnes alone, and the total crustacea

waste equating to ca. 20,000 tonnes. It can currently cost companies anywhere between

$90 - $300 USD per tonne for disposal.

25%

Value of shellfish vs

all landings

79%

UK vessels under

10 m long

28%

Shellfish jobs in

seafood industry

REPURPOSING FOOD BY-PRODUCTS: CRAB SHELLS

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SCALABILITY of the biomaterials in the past

has been limited by costs. Crab shells were

cheaply disposed of at sea. It is now becoming

economically feasible to look for alternative

uses, rather than paying for disposal.

DEMONSTRABLE application of crab shell bio-

absorbents operating in manufacturing locations

for treatment of end-of-pipe effluent, targeted

contaminated streams and emergency spills.

ENVIRONMENTAL benefits arising from the

repurposing of this waste include: reduction of

methane production in landfill (a major GHG)

or CO2 from incineration techniques, elimination

of copper from industrial waters.

BIOMATERIAL (CRAB SHELL) APPLICATIONS

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MEDICAL FILMS

WASTE AGRI-

CULTUURAL

The biodegradability of the

natural polymer in crab shells

makes them popular for drug

delivery, weight loss tablets and

other applications

Crab shells and chitin have

natural antifungal properties

and crab shells are often

distributed on agricultural land,

and combined with soil

fertilisers. The chitosan powder

is also coated on fruits to

preserve them during

transportation.

Chitin is a long chained

polymer, similar to many

artificial polymers. These

polymers can be used to

replace artificial ones in the

formation of plastic films.

Biomaterials from crab shell

have very good absorption

properties. They are capable of

retaining metals, organic

chemicals, dyes and many other

chemicals.

PRODUCTION OF BIOMATERIALS

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Crab shell and other

shellfish exoskeletons

are good at

naturally chelating

metals from aqueous

solutions

Initial treatment of

the shell to remove

the calcium

carbonate produces

a biomaterial that is

much more efficient

at chelating metals

Extraction of the

naturally produced

chitin polymer

through acid and

alkali treatment

produces a material

capable of removing

>80% of metal from

solution

The most effective

crab biomaterial for

chelating metals

from solution. This

material can achieve

>95% removal

efficiency.

LEGISLATION DRIVING CHANGE

8

Water Framework

Directive

(2000/60/EC). Designed to protect and

preserve water quality in

groundwater, rivers, lakes

and coastal waters.

Stipulating discharge

consent criteria in order to

maintain ecosystems and

water levels.

Waste Directive

(2008/98/EC) Stipulates the criteria for

categorising waste,

recycling and recovery

and targets for

achieving household and

industry recycling in

2020.

Waste water

release must

meet local

regulations for

temperature,

particulates,

BOD & COD, pH

and toxicity.

Encouraging

onsite reuse and

recycling, and

best practice

technologies to

reduce

consumption.

Storage,

transportation

and treatment of

waste are all

regulated and

add financial

costs to

manufacturing

Protection of

local waters .

ecosystems and

marine quality

Reduce,

reuse,

repurpose

and

recover

MARKET APPLICATIONS

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End-of-pipe and

spot treatment for

metal bearing

effluents

Emergency spill kit

equipment:

granules, pillows,

booms and

blankets

Settlement and

purification tanks

Organic chemical

and dye removal

from effluents

EFFLUENT TREATMENT

Currently, effluent from manufacturing sites is treated with ion exchange resins and

synthetic absorbent materials. These materials can be very complex, and can come

at a large expense to a company. Replacing these materials with the crab

biomaterial or using the crab biomaterial before the synthetic materials can

significantly extend their lifetime. Use of the biomaterial is relatively simple; e.g.

Use in packed columns as loose particulates and mixed bed systems etc.

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PRINTED WIRING BOARD WASTE TREATMENT

Use of the biomaterial in industrial applications, such as a printed wiring board (PWB) site, can provide numerous effluent treatment benefits, reducing waste volumes and recovering as many resources as possible.

For a typical PWB site, effluent streams can contain: copper, small amounts of metals from other plating solutions such as nickel, tin, cadmium, gold, silver, and platinum. Additionally, some waste water may contain organic chemicals such as EDTA.

By reducing these concentrations with natural biomaterials. individual companies can save money, quickly reduce concentrations, and help reduce water consumption.

The metals captured can be recovered at a high grade and reused for other applications and uses.

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RESULTS

Crab shells can naturally absorb metals.

From a solution crushed crab shell can

remove up to 40% of the copper. The

material absorbent efficiency increases

with the greater chemical treatment and

purification of the natural polymers.

However, at each stage of material

refinement, an additional cost is incurred.

The balance is between efficiency and

cost, to optimise a material applicable to

use in the PWB industry.

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90%

Copper removal

using chitin

99%

Copper removal

using chitosan

40%

Copper removal

using virgin shell

60%

Copper removal

using treated shell

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

13

USA Fishing Industry:

$32 B

PWB Industry:

$3 B

UK & EU Fishing Industry:

$2.7 B

PWB Industry:

$2.7 B

Japan Fishing Industry:

$14 B

PWB Industry:

$4.7 M

Global Fishing Industry:

$80 B

PWB Industry:

$61 B

Market opportunities beyond the PWB industry include any manufacturing that produces

metallic and organic effluents or particulates. Additionally, the natural polymer can be used

in the food industry as effluent coagulants and flocculants.

SUSTAINABILITY

At present, large amounts of shellfish by-products are being disposed of. In the UK, this includes crab shells, but globally there are also large volumes of crab, lobster, prawn and shrimp shell by-product waste. Therefore, there are potential markets all around the world to produce the biomaterials. This process and application could therefore be used to alleviate waste volumes generated from the seafood industry. The biomaterial can be tailored for individual industrial applications based upon local industries and local resources.

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PROJECT SUMMARY

Onsite use of

biomaterials for

effluent treatment

can be a cheaper

approach to meet

outlet regulations.

The added value to

the waste shell also

provides a financial

benefit to fishing

companies,

alleviating disposal

costs.

15

Until recently this

source of natural

polymers has been

overlooked by

industry and

manufacturing

because of the

associated costs.

As economies have

changed, the re-

use of the crab

shell is becoming

more feasible.

Preventing crab

biodegradable

materials from

landfill disposal

helps reduce

methane production

and generation of

toxic run-off.

Even after the

material has been

used to chelate

metals it can be sent

for use in biogas

reactors or

composting.

There are numerous

applications for the

materials can be

used on different

waste streams, as a

pre-treatment

process, the final

effluent treatment

material or as a

spot treatment for

emergencies and

peak events.

This process

recycles both the

crab shell waste

by-product

(repurposing and

added value) and

recovers the copper

(or other metal)

from manufacturing

effluent for re-use.