Nottingham entrepreneur launches crowdfunding campaign for cracking egg idea

A Nottingham scientist-turned-entrepreneur has launched a crowddfunding campaign to raise cash to develop an environmentally-friendly process to re-use industrial good waste.

Andrew Stacey, CEO of AVGO BIOTECH, has pioneered the “Rec-egg” technique to upcycle waste eggshells and produce a calcium carbonate product – AVGO CalciuMate.

He has launched a public crowdfunding initiative to raise funding to take the unique Rec-egg process out of the lab and into the real world where, he says, it can make a genuine environmental impact.

The company is hoping to raise £25,000 to secure a process patent and set up a prototype upcycling factory in the East Midlands and take its novel process to market.

“Calcium carbonate is used across the food and pharmaceutical industries globally, and mining out of the ground is producing thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming,” Stacey said. “Even after it has been purified, this calcium carbonate retains traces of toxic heavy metals that can be harmful if consumed regularly.

Andrew Stacey

“Eggshells are made up of more than 9% calcium carbonate, yet in the UK alone, 15,000 tonnes of eggshells from the food processing industry are discarded every year, leading to the generation of more than 63,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases.

“By exploring how we could solve these interdependent environmental issues, we created and developed a unique process that converts eggshells into food and pharma safe pure calcium carbonate. The concept ensures that our product is not only at par with the industry standard calcium carbonate but is also free of heavy metals.”

Each tonne of eggshells upcycled to produce AVGO CalciuMate prevents more than 4.5 tonnes of greenhouse gases from being released into the atmosphere. By commercially producing AVGO CalciuMate, Stacey says, AVGO BIOTECH could prevent the release of 70,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases every year.

He added: “As well as preventing ecological degradation caused by landfill and mining, we minimise the waste from our own process.

“Almost all the reagents of the Rec-egg process are regenerated and reused in subsequent batches so that nothing is wasted or discarded. There are costs benefits for businesses across these industries too – egg processing companies spend thousands on transporting and disposing waste eggshells in landfill, and food and pharmaceutical companies face the challenge of importing calcium carbonate from overseas.

“We understand that this year has been tough on everyone, especially for people trying to succeed at something new, and that it may not be possible for everyone to donate. For those that understand and support our vision but are currently unable to donate can help us by sharing our campaign on social media – we appreciate every contribution – small or large – to helping us make the idea a reality.”

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