Sea Stone
Every year, 7 million tons of seashells are discarded by the seafood industry and aquaculture. Even though some of the seashells have been recycled and used as fertilizers, the majority of them are being thrown into landfills or by the seaside. The discarded seashells which are uncleaned or rotten have not been cleared away at all and have been piling up near the beach for a long time, thus, causing odour pollution and polluting the surrounding land in the long run.
Yet, these shells are materials with high potential, which consist of over 90% calcium carbonate, containing similar to the one of what calcium carbonate in the limestone contains and seen as a valuable biomaterial.
Project ‘Sea Stone’ proposes the use of discarded seashells to create environmentally and economically sustainable material rather than contributing to the world’s rubbish problem.
Moreover, it is expected to positively impact on three effects such as reducing waste disposal costs, preventing marine pollution, and recycling waste by creating value-added products with artistic, aesthetic, and functional new uses.
Additional information
The studio collects discarded seashells from seafood industries, and then shells are processed, ground and mixed with various natural ingredients, under the right proportion.
Ultimately, those mixtures can maximise the benefit of the materials, as well as textures and hardness.
Information submitted by the maker and edited by the Future Materials Bank.
Ingredients
Powdered seashells (mussel, oyster, etc) and others.