Eggshell recycling to benefit industry

Scientists and food industry experts have launched a £20,000 research project which could shed new light on the way people recycle egg shells, saving the egg industry thousands of pounds each year.

Funded by the The Food and Drink iNet, the project aims to find useful ways of recycling egg shells.

Chemistry scientists at the University of Leicester are looking at ways to turn eggs shells into plastics, by using them as fillers to bulk up various grades of plastic.

They are also researching ways to extract materials such as proteins and glycoaminoglycans – used in biomedical applications – from egg shells, which could be used by the pharmaceutical industry.

Egg shell is regarded as a waste by food producers and has to be disposed at landfill sites, but scientists hope they can give egg shells a second lease of life, which would reduce manufacturer costs significantly and generate income for egg producers, rather then being a financial drain on their business.

“Egg shell is classified as a waste material by the food industry, but it is in fact a highly sophisticated composite,” said Food and Drink iNet director Richard Worrall.

“This [project] could have the potential benefit on many levels, both for food manufacturers and a much wider industry,” he added.

The project plans to involve a number of small and medium-sized egg related companies in the East Midlands.

Leicester hard-boiled egg and mayonnaise manufacturer Just Egg is one of the companies involved in the project.

It costs the company £30,000 each year to dispose of 480 tonnes of shells.

“If I wasn’t spending the £30,000 a year on landfill costs I could employ another worker or two part-time workers or invest that money in R&D and innovation,” said Pankaj Pancholi, managing director of Just Eggs.

“It would be great if the egg shells could ultimately be recycled to be used in the plastic packaging that we use for egg products,” Mr Pancholi said.

Visit www.foodanddrink-inet.org.uk for more information or if you would like to get involved with the project.