LIFE Project: Eggshells: A Potential Raw Material for Ceramic Coatings
- Type Project
- Status Filled
- Execution 2020 -2024
- Assigned Budget 1.272.314,00 €
- Scope Europeo
- Autonomous community Comunitat Valenciana
- Main source of financing LIFE
- Project website Web del proyecto
The LIFE EggshellenCE project focuses on demonstrating the use of eggshells as a secondary raw material in the production of ceramic coatings, providing environmental and economic benefits for both the egg processing and ceramics industries. In this sense, it is conceived as an example of a circular business model in line with European resource efficiency priorities and the Waste Framework Directive.
Waste management is one of the most important issues for food processors. More specifically, the egg processing industry generates large quantities of eggshell waste (around 11% of total egg weight), amounting to up to 150,000 tons per year in Europe. Consumption of processed egg products currently accounts for 30% of egg production, with growing demand in the ready-made meals, cake mixes, and fast-food sectors. Therefore, the generation of eggshell waste will increase in the coming years. EC Regulation No. 1069/2009 classifies eggshells as animal by-products not intended for human consumption, establishing strict health standards for their use. For this reason, eggshells are not widely used on an industrial scale, except for occasional use as fertilizer or soil conditioner. The most common practice is landfill disposal. In Europe, more than 90% of this solid waste is disposed of in landfills.
Eggshells consist of a network of protein fibers associated with crystalline calcium carbonate (95%), magnesium carbonate (1%), calcium phosphate (1%), and water. Once the protein fiber membrane is separated, the eggshell can become an alternative source of calcium carbonate (bio-CaCO3). Large quantities of calcium carbonate are used in the manufacture of ceramic tiles. Therefore, eggshells can be a valuable bio-based raw material for the ceramic tile industry. This would help reduce the impact of limestone consumption, a non-renewable natural source of calcium carbonate. Wall tiles contain between 10 and 15% calcium carbonate, with an estimated consumption of 300,000 t/year in Europe. In this way, the ceramic industry could absorb all the eggshell produced by the egg processing industry, reducing limestone extraction for the ceramic industry by up to 40%.
To demonstrate the feasibility of using eggshells as a secondary raw material in the production of ceramic tiles. To this end, equipment will be developed that allows eggshell pretreatment to separate the membrane from the shell itself, obtaining CaCO3 from a food industry waste product. This will be a simple and low-cost process.
- A prototype for separating the egg membrane from the shell has been validated.
- Ceramic tiles with a content of between 5 and 12% calcium carbonate from eggshells (considering that between 50 and 75% of their calcium carbonate is replaced by bio-CaCO3).
- Reduction of at least 90% of the egg waste generated by the AGOTZAINA company. This implies the recovery of approximately 50 tons of eggshells during the project and at least 2,500 tons per year after the project. Consumption of the mineral calcium carbonate will be reduced accordingly.
- Replication of the solution will begin in at least one other egg processing company during the project, with replication planned after project completion in several Spanish and Portuguese companies in the egg processing and ceramics sectors.
- Development of at least two business models for egg and ceramic tile processing companies.
- Coordinator/entity name: Francisca Quereda
Postal address: Avda. Vicente Sos Baynat, s/n, 12006, Castellón
- ASOCIACIóN DE INVESTIGACIóN DE LAS INDUSTRIAS CERáMICAS
- UA(Universidade de Aveiro)
- ADM(ADELINO DUARTE DA MOTA, S.A.)
- AGOTZAINA(AGOTZAINA, S.L.)
- EATOMIZADO(EUROATOMIZADO, S.A.)
- MAINCER(MAINCER, S.L.)
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