A Lincolnshire company is turning waste cockle shells into pharmaceutical-grade calcium carbonate, using a net-zero process already proven in a 1,000-tonne-per-year demonstrator plant. Globally, over 8 million tonnes of seashell waste from seafood processing ends up in landfill or dumped at sea each year, harming both land and marine environments. This project treats that waste as a resource rather than a problem, applying a circular-economy process to produce calcium carbonate suitable for high-end uses. If successful, the technology could transform a waste stream into a valuable ingredient for paints, dietary supplements, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical active ingredients. The company plans to enter markets sequentially, starting with the least regulated (paints) and moving toward the most demanding (pharmaceutical APIs), where profitability is highest. A Boston-based cockle processor would gain year-round employment and an improved environmental footprint, while the Lincolnshire region could see similar processes applied to prawn, crab, and mushroom waste streams. The core message—"sustainable and circular" ingredients—targets customer-facing brands willing to pay a premium for green credentials.
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Globally, over 8 million tonnes of seashells are produced during the processing of seafood, which negatively impact both the land and marine environments -- through landfill and dumping at sea. This is also the case in the UK. This is a valuable resource that could be up-cycled for applications in other industries. We will be working with a Boston based cockle processor to apply a previously developed net zero / circular process, funded by IUK, to the seashell industry. Providing an out-put, calcium carbonate, suitable for high end applications in Paints, Supplements, Cosmetics and Pharmaceuticals. We plan to under-take an in-depth market research project with Alliance Manchester Business School to look at the pharmaceutical market in details. The cockle processor will benefit from an improved environmental footprint and customer relations and will also be able to provide year round employment, avoiding the issues around their current seasonal employment model. The Boston area would benefit from such employment. The message that is being promoted is "sustainable and circular" ingredients - being promoted to our potential customers who are customer facing, customers who are willing to pay a premium. (high end paint, "green" supplements, OTC pharma-with green issues) We will approach these markets, from those with least regulatory hurdles through to pharmaceutical APIs with the most, with appropriate timelines to launch into each. Profitability increases as we increase the level of regulation. A clear route to market exists, with the technology being used in: \* a small commercial plant, with a paint company, demonstrator plant (1000 tonnes year) \* scale up to meet supplement market need (5000's tonnes), and \* scale up to meet pharmaceutical market needs (10000's tonnes) Avgo has developed relationships within all of these markets, where beachead partners/customers, will take on initial batches of material. We are a Lincolnshire based company and have existing and are developing relationships with The University of Lincoln (NCFM), the Lincolnshire Food Valley and through them the greater East of England Food Cluster. Discussions have already taken place around applying this technology on other food waste streams within this cluster (Prawns and Crabs). While other discussions have taken place around the extraction of value from Mushroom wastes, using different technology, in Cambridgeshire. Theses output materials would also carry the "sustainable / circular" label and could be applied In high end applications in industrial, supplement, cosmetic and pharmaceutical markets.
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