AgraTech’s manufacturing process recovers chitin from crustacean shells. Chitosan has already been used in agricultural applications. The agricultural market is sizeable and includes anti-fungal and anti-insect use. Photo: Ed Lallo/Louisiana Seafood News
by Monica Skaggs/Louisiana Seafood News
Each year, 100 million pounds of seafood shell waste from shrimp, crab and crawfish processing have to go somewhere.
Instead of a seeing it head to the landfill, Biopolymer Technologies, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AgraTech International, plans to transform it into chitosan – a biodegradable material used in products ranging from windshield coatings to agriculture.
Biopolymer Technologies is renovating a one-time soda bottling facility in Opelousas, Louisiana, for its biotech venture. The Louisiana-based start-up will convert raw seafood shells into commercial products for agriculture, as well as medical, automotive and defense industries.
“We want to create a process that takes in as much of the crustacean shells as we can,” said Joseph Bristow, Ph.D. Photo: Ed Lallo/Louisiana Seafood News
Chitosan has already been used in agricultural applications. The agricultural market is sizeable and includes anti-fungal and anti-insect use.
“Chitosan has a lot of uses because of the nature of the material itself,” said Joseph Bristow, Ph.D., vice president and chief technology officer of AgraTech. “It’s derived from renewable natural sources and it’s biodegradable, unlike a lot of synthetic plastics that degrade in 10,000 years or so.”
Reducing Costs of Disposal
Making use of waste from seafood production will help reduce disposal costs associated with hauling it to landfills, bringing added value to the seafood community’s products. For example, Louisiana shrimpers alone catch 90 million to 120 million pounds of shrimp a year, resulting in a deluge of waste byproduct.
“We want to create a process that takes in as much of the crustacean shells as we can,” said Bristow, whose PhD is in chemical engineering. “Disposing of them can be a pretty significant problem. We hope to minimize if not eliminate the costs associated with getting rid of the shells. It will also eliminate that waste from landfills, so there should be a wide benefit to the state’s economy.”
The endeavor is a “win-win situation” for the company and the state, said Mark Schexnayder, deputy assistant secretary with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
“It’s important in any business to be more efficient,” he said “We’re blessed with natural resources, but it’s incumbent on us to squeeze the most value out of those resources as possible. It’s exciting that a company like this is coming to Louisiana.”
A Multitude of Uses
AgraTech has a patent on its manufacturing process which recovers chitin, a naturally occurring biopolymer, from crustacean shells.like crabs. Photo: Louisiana Seafood News
AgraTech has a patent on its manufacturing process which recovers chitin, a naturally occurring biopolymer, from crustacean shells.
Billed as natural, non-toxic and biodegradable, chitosan can be used in sunscreen lotion and other personal care products, dental membranes for implant surgery and as a fat-blocker supplement. In addition, AgraTech is researching new applications for the material.
Chitosan has already been used in agricultural and waste water treatment applications. The agricultural market is sizeable and includes anti-fungal and anti-insect uses, Bristow said.
$10 Million Plant
AgraTech is spending $10 million to renovate its 37,000-square-foot facility and expects to begin operations this summer. The company expects to be in full operation by early 2015, producing 1,700 to 2,000 tons of chitosan a year.
The company plans to hire 50 employees and is working on a research partnership with the University of Louisiana’s College of Engineering in Lafayette.
As the only commercial manufacturer of chitosan in the U.S., AgraTech is focused on the immediate business opportunity in Louisiana, but sees a future in other parts of the country, Bristow said.
“Our vision is to branch out to all parts of the country, including the east and west coasts and Alaska – any place where large-scale fishing takes place,” he said. “There’s a great deal of potential.”
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