Extracting Calcium from Shell Waste... Export Contract with US Company

The Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology announced on the 11th that its research startup PMI Biotech has signed a contract to supply high-purity calcium made from oyster shells to a global distribution company in the United States for approximately 12 billion won over five years. According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, annual oyster shell discharge in Korea exceeds 300,000 tons (as of 2022), with disposal costs reaching hundreds of billions of won. While research is actively underway to produce industrial and food-grade calcium using shells that cause odor and soil and water pollution, existing calcination processes that decompose at high temperatures or recycling processes using strong alkaline chemicals have problems with high fuel costs, power consumption, and greenhouse gas and odor-causing substance emissions. Consequently, while entirely dependent on imports, it has been difficult to meet the low-cost and high-quality standards required by health ...