Shrimp Shells to Bioproducts: An Eco-Friendly Breakthrough
Creating ‘Best out of Waste’ is one of the most creative tasks ever. And making sure that the best that has been created has some value to help mankind is furthermore noble. And here, we are witnessing this through extensive research from scientists to ensure that the wastes are being converted into valuable products.
A researcher from Odisha named Siddhartha Pati was recently awarded a patent. His extraordinary work on developing a sustainable product from shrimp shells. He designed a product that contains high-value byproducts from the material called Chitosan. This is a material that one can easily find after shrimp shells are discarded.
The product has gained significant importance due to its use in the pharmaceutical industry. This is an eco-friendly product that can be utilized as a capsule cover in pharmaceutical tablets.
Pati, who leads a startup inspired by the government’s ‘Circular Economy’ and ‘Waste to Wealth’ missions, said, “What was once considered an environmental burden, often dumped into landfills or the sea, causing severe pollution, is now being transformed into valuable raw materials for the global biomedical, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and industrial sectors.”
His startup focuses on converting marine processing waste , particularly discarded shrimp shells, into high-value bioproducts such as chitin, chitosan, and agricultural biostimulants.
“Chitosan, obtained from chitin in shrimp shells, is one of the most versatile biopolymers known today. Its biodegradability, safety, and unique biological properties make it essential for advanced applications such as drug delivery systems, controlled-release medicines, wound dressings, tissue scaffolds, regenerative materials, bone graft substitutes, orthopedic biomaterials, vaccine delivery platforms, biosensors, water purification, agriculture, cosmetics, and more,” Pati added.
After this development of a useful product, he emphasized that this is just a beginning. The research path is a long way to developing a series of breakthroughs. The team is dedicated to providing continuous innovation and producing products of high importance. He also mentioned that they are working on several new technologies, which will further help in the development of marine-derived biopolymers.
He also mentioned that the primary goal is to make our nation a global hub for all types of sustainable bioproducts as well as bio-based materials.
Pati also mentioned how their research is a live example of turning ‘waste to wealth’. The research mainly aims to create such products that are highly useful and enhance people’s lives as well as protect the environment. This will definitely contribute to a stronger tomorrow and the sustainable development of the country.
