SHELLTER – Reuse of aquaculture waste in the development of construction materials

SHELLTER

What did this initiative focus on?

The SHELLTER project aims to contribute to the sustainable blue bioeconomy by reducing pollution caused by aquaculture waste or invasive species in the environment, through the use of oyster shell in composites, boosting the development of new solutions with local materials, increasing the chain value and reducing the carbon footprint.

To improve the utilization of the side-streams created in both the Portuguese and Norwegian industries, the consortium has defined the following objectives: i) collection of data from oyster shell/blue mussel Shell waste in both countries (e.g. mortality rates; relevant properties and compositions of oyster shells; landfills or incineration rates; current reuses); ii) technical feasibility of oyster shell particle size (powder or aggregates) in the development of construction materials, including types of preparation (mechanical or thermochemical treatments); iii) assessment of environmental and economic impacts of oyster shell life cycle and their impact on the local economy and society.

With the technical and commercial feasibility of using this type of waste, it will be possible to obtain a roadmap and a database to support the development of new applications in construction, lower consumption of existing natural resources, and the recognition of this waste in the circular economy at different levels (local /regional, national and international) with a relevant impact on aquaculture and construction sectors.