Scientists turn shrimp waste into a weapon against climate change

A mountain of shrimp shells, heads, and tracts often ends up in landfills, left to rot by the seafood industry. Now, researchers at the University of Sharjah have found a way to turn this overlooked waste into something powerful: a material that traps carbon dioxide. Their work could help ease two pressing global problems at once—food waste and rising greenhouse gases.

The project, led by Dr. Haif Al-Jomard, focused on a surprisingly simple question: what if shrimp waste could become part of the fight against climate change? The team began by collecting white shrimp remains from Souq Al Jubail in Sharjah. These shrimp were originally harvested off the coast of Oman, cleaned, dried, and then prepared for processing.

The process started with pyrolysis, where shrimp shells were heated in the absence of oxygen to form biochar, a carbon-rich solid. That material was then treated with hydrochloric acid and chemically activated with potassium hydroxide. Finally, it was ball-milled, a mechanical step that helped refine the material’s structure. What resulted was activated carbon with a massive surface area—nearly 925 square meters per gram in one optimized version.

Such surface expansion is key. The more porous and textured the carbon, the more gas molecules it can hold. Tests showed that one optimized sample could absorb 5.14 millimoles of carbon dioxide per gram at low temperatures and pressure. Even more promising, the material could release the gas and be reused over and over without losing much of its efficiency.

Seafood processing worldwide produces up to eight million tons of shells, heads, and other leftovers each year, much of which ends up in landfills. In warm climates, this kind of waste quickly becomes a source of odor, pests, and environmental damage. Using shrimp waste to create carbon-capturing material means a stream of waste becomes a resource instead of a problem.

“This study turns shrimp waste into a high-performance carbon product,” Dr. Al-Jomard explained. “It not only addresses the environmental challenges posed by seafood waste but also contributes to global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

The team published their findings in the journal Nanoscale, where they detailed not just the material’s performance but also its durability. The activated carbon held up across multiple cycles of adsorption and desorption, confirming its ability to regenerate. That stability is critical for real-world use.

Professor Chaouki Ghenai, a co-author and expert in Sustainable and Renewable Energy at the University of Sharjah, stressed the broader advantages. “This approach offers a cost-effective route to producing activated carbon, turning a problematic waste stream into a high-performance, efficient, and environmentally friendly product with wide-ranging applications.”

The potential uses of shrimp-derived carbon go beyond capturing greenhouse gases. Activated carbon already has a long track record in water filtration, air purification, solvent recovery, and even medical treatments. Its porous structure can trap impurities, metals, or toxins in different environments. Gold extraction and other industrial applications could also benefit from this waste-to-resource technology.

But carbon capture remains the standout application. Industries such as power generation, steelmaking, cement production, and petrochemicals are among the largest emitters of carbon dioxide. The idea that these sectors could reduce their emissions using a material born from shrimp shells is both unusual and encouraging.

This research highlights the principles of a circular economy, where waste is not just reduced but reimagined as a resource. Rather than extracting new raw materials, the team shows how an existing by-product can be converted into something valuable. By reducing waste and creating high-efficiency carbon materials, the work supports both resource efficiency and climate goals.

The study also adds to a growing field of “waste valorization,” where agricultural and food by-products are given new life. Whether it’s coffee grounds turned into biofuel or shells converted into carbon filters, scientists are rethinking waste streams as part of the solution to global sustainability challenges.

This discovery could change how industries and governments view seafood waste. Instead of being a disposal headache, shrimp shells could become raw material for climate technology. Industries such as power generation, steel, and cement could adopt shrimp-derived carbon in their emission reduction efforts.

Because the method is relatively low-cost and scalable, it offers a practical solution for countries facing both high seafood waste and climate challenges. On a larger scale, it could also reduce pressure on landfills, cut pollution, and expand access to affordable carbon capture materials.

Note: The article above provided above by The Brighter Side of News.

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