Aquaculture vs decarbonization through industrial symbiosis: The role of bivalve shell recycling

Stefano Fricano, Claudio Pirrone, Emma Kanzari and Gioacchino Fazio

ECONOMICS AND POLICY OF ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, 2026, vol. 2026/1, issue 1, 227-255

Abstract:

Recycling mussel shells offers environmental and industrial benefits. As a by-product of aquaculture and food processing, shells are often discarded, contributing to waste management challenges and costs. Recent studies highlight their potential as a sustainable source of high-purity calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which can be extracted through processes involving washing, grinding, and calcination. This valorization reduces waste volumes, lowers disposal expenses for producers and introduces low-cost raw material to the CaCO3 market. Notably, calcium derived from mussel shells can be utilized in emerging technologies such as calcium looping (CaL) for CO2 capture, where calcium oxide (CaO) acts as a regenerable sorbent. Using shell-derived calcium in such applications supports circular economy principles and enhances the environmental performance of carbon capture. The MATSHELL project explores the potential of recycling bivalve shells to produce biogenic CaCO3 and reuse for high-value applications. Findings show that biologically sourced precipitated CaCO3 offers a competitive alternative to conventional sources, with rising market demand in high-value sectors. However, key barriers exist, including supply chain integration, regulatory complexity, and limited industrial adoption. The results of our analysis, conducted by interviewing a panel of experts, identified potential actions to address the challenges in accordance with industrial symbiosis models. The potential of the developed model was enhanced by integrating appropriate activities to optimize its implementation.

Keywords: aquaculture; waste reduction; circular economy; calcium carbonate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.francoangeli.it/riviste/Scheda_Rivista. ... 141&Tipo=ArticoloPDF (text/html)
Single articles can be downloaded buying download credits, for info: https://www.francoangeli.it/DownloadCredit

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:fan:efeefe:v:html10.3280/epe2026oa22896

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.francoang ... io.aspx?IDRivista=10

Access Statistics for this article

ECONOMICS AND POLICY OF ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT is currently edited by FrancoAngeli

More articles in ECONOMICS AND POLICY OF ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT from FrancoAngeli Editore
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Stefania Rosato ().