AVGO Biotech Ltd Public Funding

Globally, over 8 million tonnes of seashells are produced during the processing of seafood, which negatively impact both the land and marine environments -- through landfill and dumping at sea. This is also the case in the UK. This is a valuable resource that could be up-cycled for applications in other industries. We will be working with a Boston based cockle processor to apply a previously developed net zero / circular process, funded by IUK, to the seashell industry. Providing an out-put, calcium carbonate, suitable for high end applications in Paints, Supplements, Cosmetics and Pharmaceuticals. We plan to under-take an in-depth market research project with Alliance Manchester Business School to look at the pharmaceutical market in details. The cockle processor will benefit from an improved environmental footprint and customer relations and will also be able to provide year round employment, avoiding the issues around their current seasonal employment model. The Boston area would benefit from such employment. The message that is being promoted is "sustainable and circular" ingredients - being promoted to our potential customers who are customer facing, customers who are willing to pay a premium. (high end paint, "green" supplements, OTC pharma-with green issues) We will approach these markets, from those with least regulatory hurdles through to pharmaceutical APIs with the most, with appropriate timelines to launch into each. Profitability increases as we increase the level of regulation. A clear route to market exists, with the technology being used in: \* a small commercial plant, with a paint company, demonstrator plant (1000 tonnes year) \* scale up to meet supplement market need (5000's tonnes), and \* scale up to meet pharmaceutical market needs (10000's tonnes) Avgo has developed relationships within all of these markets, where beachead partners/customers, will take on initial batches of material. We are a Lincolnshire based company and have existing and are developing relationships with The University of Lincoln (NCFM), the Lincolnshire Food Valley and through them the greater East of England Food Cluster. Discussions have already taken place around applying this technology on other food waste streams within this cluster (Prawns and Crabs). While other discussions have taken place around the extraction of value from Mushroom wastes, using different technology, in Cambridgeshire. Theses output materials would also carry the "sustainable / circular" label and could be applied In high end applications in industrial, supplement, cosmetic and pharmaceutical markets.

**Annually, \\\>250,000 tonnes of eggshells** are produced in Europe. This waste is biologically hazardous. Companies in the egg processing industry contract waste companies to remove/treat this waste, **\\\>£100/tonne, \\\>£25million across Europe.** Hitting the processing industry's profitability. Impacting the environment significantly with Landfill, which leads to acidification/eutrophy producing 15 kilotonnne sulphur dioxide, 6,25 kilotonne phosphate and **\\\>1 million tonnes carbon dioxide/year,** which is mirrored in Asia and N.America**.** Eggshells offer the untapped natural resource of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). **The European Pharmaceutical industry uses over 100,000tonnes/year, worth£65-140m (£800million globally).** This material has issues; \* **Poor environmental credential** -- large carbon footprint from mining and importation, conflicting with the goals of the Green House Gas Protocol's Scope 3on supply chains. \* **Contamination** with TOXIC HEAVY METALS, with rejection at \\\>20%, costing the European Pharmaceutical industry **\\\>£30m/year** **VISION and OBJECTIVES -** The REC-EGG process was developed to provide a completely circular recycling process for waste eggshells. This process separates shell and membrane, purifies the shell producing pharmaceutical grade CaCO3 (outward process) and recycles its own waste streams (return process). Leaving us with pure calcium carbonate, eggshell membrane and a low carbon foot print. We are working with a UK supermarket with future plans to engage both global engineering and mineral companies to access these global market. In IUK supported **project 91752** we were able to prove the outward process on a small industrial scale, however due to COVID and logistical problems we were unable to prove the return process. This project will take the core of the outward process, converting the shell into pharmaceutical grade CaCO3 and scale it up to give us a process and material minimal viable product (MVP1) (TRL7). This will be of sufficient size to eliminate our primary sponsors waste problem. The shell/membrane separation and return process will be considered outside of this projec (ERDF and IUK Fast Start, **project 10044543** funded respectively)

This project aims to address 2 industrial problems: 1) Over 250,000 tonnes of eggshells are produced across Europe, annually, by the egg processing industry. This waste is hazardous, due to the decomposition of biological materials carried over from processing. Companies contract specialist waste management companies to remove / treat this waste at great expense, **\> £100/tonne, \> £85m across Europe.** Impacting the industry's bottom line and making them less resistant to external threats from global imports and events such as COVID-19\. Additionally, landfill has a **significant carbon footprint, producing over 2 M tonnes of Carbon Dioxide,** across Europe, annually. 2) Eggshells offer the untapped natural resource of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which could be used in high value markets, such as Pharmaceutical/Medical/Food. **The Pharmaceutical industry, in Europe, uses over 100,000 tonnes / year, worth \>£200m (£800m globally).** Currently material is imported from Asia and leads to a number of issues: a) Environmental unsustainable, **through mining and transportation great distances (carbon-miles) (77 K tonnes CO2**), when local and sustainable material is available, b) Quality / Consistency of mined material is variable. Containing **TOXIC HEAVY METALS**, experiencing rejection rates as high as 20%. Costing the European Pharmaceutical industry **\>£40m/year** 3) Eggshells offer an untapped resource of **CaCO3**, which could be used in a plethora of applications, in addition to the pharmaceutical industry. Avgo will convert this resource into high quality/value material for the Pharmaceutical/Medical/Food. 4) Many attempts have been made to exploit the resources held within eggshells, they have not been able to manufacture materials that meet Pharmaceutical/Food/TOXIC HEAVY METAL requirements. Within this project we will show that this can be done, through a series of proof of principle experiments, covering the full process, converting eggshell waste into Pharmaceutical grade CaCO3, on a commercial scale and demonstrating complete circularity through the re-use of process co-products. **5)** **Avgo will build on previous work, which we had planned to take place earlier in the year but which was delayed due to a lack of access to funds because of COVID-19\.** **6)** **We are taking a disruptive combination of new chemical/engineering processes will allow us to achieve this.** These approaches will be taken in the collect, moving and separating of eggshells and membranes. Allowing, Avgo to valorise both the membrane and shell, which will be treated to a number of novel processes. Producing high grade CaCO3 -- with ultimate co-products being re-introduced into the process. Providing complete circularity. This project will demonstrate all the technologies as yet unproven in this application. 7) RECEGG is an **"eggshell factory" producing sustainable, high purity, high quality membrane (\>£12m in 5 years-outside of scope of this project) and pharmaceutical grade** **CaCO3 (\>£20m in 5 years) while offering complete circularity.** **8)** **Exploitation of egg-processing industry co-products will improve profitability for the UK processors. Providing a buffer against aggressive import activities, help it to grow back strongly from the adverse effects of COVID-19, some processors suffered badly from the contraction in hospitality and provide resilience against any similar events.**

The proposed project seeks to develop and commercialise an innovative, integrated approach to the recovery and valorisation of a high value inorganic material from waste chicken egg shells for use in foods and pharmaceuticals. Current disposal options for egg shell waste, which include landfill and use as fertiliser, have undesirable social, economic and environmental impacts. Building on previous feasibility studies and market research, the project consortium seeks to bring together expertise from across the supply chain (egg processors, secondary processors, intermediaries and end-users plus specialist research capabilities) to establish a novel manufacturing approach that will significantly reduce the negative economic and environmental issues associated with current waste disposal whilst improving the competitiveness of UK egg processors.

Awaiting Public Project Summary