Industrial food production in Germany produces large quantities of eggshells, which to date have remained largely unused. Yet they offer great potential as a resource for a bio-based economy, as they can be used industrially, for example in the plastics industry.

This is where the research project "AddEgg" comes in:

Eggshells consist of 93 % calcium carbonate, which is already used in large quantities as a mineral filler in the plastics industry to reduce the amount of plastic in components. Instead of calcium carbonate, the unused residual material eggshells should be used here in order to reduce not only the proportion of plastic but also the use of the calcium carbonate currently used. In addition, eggshells can have further positive effects as a nucleating agent, protection against UV radiation and flame retardant.

In addition to suitable processing methods for the raw material, such as cleaning and drying, the main aim of the research project is to investigate how the particle size or particle size distribution behaves after the eggshells have been ground, as this is essential for further processing in the plastic granulate. The biocomposites based on eggshells are to be produced and processed using common processes such as extrusion and injection moulding.

The use of eggshells for the plastics industry offers the possibility not only to reduce the amount of waste in the food industry, but also to upgrade the properties of (bio-based) plastics and thus improve the durability, functionality as well as the sustainability of the materials.

• Project title: AddEgg - Eggshells as a multifunctional additive for customised biocomposites
• Funding: Project management Jülich (PTJ)
• Sponsorship: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
• Project management: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andrea Siebert-Raths
• Project realization: Markus Kammer, B. Eng.; Jan Kuckuck, M. Sc.
• Duration: 01.10.2022-30.09.2023
• Funding code: 031B1311

Markus Kammer, B. Eng., markus.kammer@hs-hannover.de
Jan Kuckuck, M. Sc., jan.kuckuck@hs-hannover.de