Biomimetic and bio-inspired uses of mollusc shells

Morris, James P.; Wang, Y.; Backeljau, Thierry; Chapelle, Gauthier

doi:10.1016/j.margen.2016.04.001

Cited by 30 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…The reuse of the shells inhibits the contamination of the environment and represents an ecologically sustainable solution by adding commercial value to the residues of the mariculture sector. The reuse and recycling of oyster shells for by-products production have become a very relevant topic around the world [33][34][35][36][37][38]. Some studies have shown recycling and reuse solutions for oyster shells residues, as a rich source of calcium, in several sectors, for example, in the building materials industry as aggregate of limestone for cement and even in the pharmaceutical industry as a calcium-rich supplement [10,39].…”

Section: Current and Potential Applications For Oyster Shell Wastesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potential Use of Oyster Shell Waste in New Value-Added By-Product

et al. 2019

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Calcium carbonate is one of the most used raw materials in various industries, such as construction materials, food supplement, pharmaceutics, animal feed, plastic production, and others. Calcium carbonate can derive from marine wastes, like crustaceans and bivalve’s shells. The worldwide demand for new sources of food has increased exponentially, and following that tendency, the mariculture—especially the oyster culture—has been increasingly resorting to farming techniques. In 2016, 438 billion tons of oysters were produced. The majority of the shells were unduly discarded, presenting a public health problem. This article offers a solution based on the reuse and recycling of oyster shell residues in the production region of Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. The presented solution is an oyster shell by-product developed by a local company which produces artificial stone. The main component of the artificial stone is a composite material made of oyster shells incorporated in a polymeric resin. The mechanical properties, such as its flexural strength, hardness, Weibull modulus, and fracture analysis, were held in the artificial stone. The mechanical results of the new artificial stone were compared with other natural stones, such as granite and marble, and other commercial artificial stones. This material owns suitable mechanical properties for table tops and workbenches. Using this product as an artificial stone represents an innovation in the development of a new product and adds commercial value to local waste. This product is an excellent example of a circular economy for local producers who care about the environment, and it encourages the reduction of extraction of natural stone, such as granite and marble.

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Section: Current and Potential Applications For Oyster Shell Wastesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potential Use of Oyster Shell Waste in New Value-Added By-Product

et al. 2019

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“…Mollusc shells, as a by‐product of the aquaculture industry, can be given value in numerous ways (Morris et al . ). The following sections will introduce and review current, potential and unexplored valorisation strategies.…”

Section: Shell Valorisationmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Valorisation is a particularly pertinent concept with the recent drive towards recycling, zero waste industries and a more circular economic system (European Commission 2015). Mollusc shells, as a by-product of the aquaculture industry, can be given value in numerous ways (Morris et al 2016). The following sections will introduce and review current, potential and unexplored valorisation strategies.…”

Section: Shell Valorisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shells from aquaculture: a valuable biomaterial, not a nuisance waste product

Morris

Backeljau

Chapelle³

2018

Reviews in Aquaculture

131

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Mollusc aquaculture is advocated as a highly sustainable food source and may play an important role in future food security globally. With production increasing worldwide, it is timely to appraise all aspects of aquaculture when considering its expanding role as a food source. In this regard, one regularly overlooked aspect of mollusc aquaculture is waste generation: namely the production of calcareous shells. Shells from the aquaculture industry are widely regarded as a nuisance waste product, yet at the same time, calcium carbonate is mined in the form of limestone and viewed as a valuable commodity. In a time of increased awareness of the need for a circular economy, the aquaculture and seafood industry should consider shells as a valuable biomaterial that can be reused for both environmental and economic benefit. This review discusses the current waste shell issue and identifies large‐scale shell applications that are already in place. Further, it highlights proposed applications that have the potential to be scaled up to address the problem of waste shell accumulations and reduce our reliance on environmentally damaging incineration and landfill disposal. Of the plethora of shell valorisation techniques proposed in the scientific literature, this review will focus only on those that can incorporate large‐scale shell utilisation, and do not require high‐energy processing, and are thus; simple, sustainable and potentially economically viable. Further, this review questions whether, in many cases, shells can provide more inherent value being returned to the marine environment rather than being used in land‐based applications.

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“…The production of hierarchical structures from nano‐ to metre‐scales is, however, beyond current technologies and scalability is an issue (Mann, 2000). Thus, whilst understanding of biomineralization processes is incomplete, the self‐assembly of nanocomposites remains a major challenge for bulk biomimetic materials, but one that offers great future promise (Morris et al ., 2016).…”

Section: Future Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deciphering mollusc shell production: the roles of genetic mechanisms through to ecology, aquaculture and biomimetics

et al. 2020

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Most molluscs possess shells, constructed from a vast array of microstructures and architectures. The fully formed shell is composed of calcite or aragonite. These CaCO3 crystals form complex biocomposites with proteins, which although typically less than 5% of total shell mass, play significant roles in determining shell microstructure. Despite much research effort, large knowledge gaps remain in how molluscs construct and maintain their shells, and how they produce such a great diversity of forms. Here we synthesize results on how shell shape, microstructure, composition and organic content vary among, and within, species in response to numerous biotic and abiotic factors. At the local level, temperature, food supply and predation cues significantly affect shell morphology, whilst salinity has a much stronger influence across latitudes. Moreover, we emphasize how advances in genomic technologies [e.g. restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing (RAD‐Seq) and epigenetics] allow detailed examinations of whether morphological changes result from phenotypic plasticity or genetic adaptation, or a combination of these. RAD‐Seq has already identified single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with temperature and aquaculture practices, whilst epigenetic processes have been shown significantly to modify shell construction to local conditions in, for example, Antarctica and New Zealand. We also synthesize results on the costs of shell construction and explore how these affect energetic trade‐offs in animal metabolism. The cellular costs are still debated, with CaCO3 precipitation estimates ranging from 1–2 J/mg to 17–55 J/mg depending on experimental and environmental conditions. However, organic components are more expensive (~29 J/mg) and recent data indicate transmembrane calcium ion transporters can involve considerable costs. This review emphasizes the role that molecular analyses have played in demonstrating multiple evolutionary origins of biomineralization genes. Although these are characterized by lineage‐specific proteins and unique combinations of co‐opted genes, a small set of protein domains have been identified as a conserved biomineralization tool box. We further highlight the use of sequence data sets in providing candidate genes for in situ localization and protein function studies. The former has elucidated gene expression modularity in mantle tissue, improving understanding of the diversity of shell morphology synthesis. RNA interference (RNAi) and clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats ‐ CRISPR‐associated protein 9 (CRISPR‐Cas9) experiments have provided proof of concept for use in the functional investigation of mollusc gene sequences, showing for example that Pif (aragonite‐binding) protein plays a significant role in structured nacre crystal growth and that the Lsdia1 gene sets shell chirality in Lymnaea stagnalis. Much research has focused on the impacts of ocean acidification on molluscs. Initial studies were predominantly pessimistic for future molluscan biodiversity...

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Biomimetic and bio-inspired uses of mollusc shells

Cited by 30 publications

References 52 publications

The Potential Use of Oyster Shell Waste in New Value-Added By-Product

The Potential Use of Oyster Shell Waste in New Value-Added By-Product

Shells from aquaculture: a valuable biomaterial, not a nuisance waste product

Deciphering mollusc shell production: the roles of genetic mechanisms through to ecology, aquaculture and biomimetics

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