BIOCERAMIC COMPOSITE: HEN’S EGGSHELL CHARACTERIZATION AND MAIN APPLICATIONS

Abstract

The chicken eggshell is a bioceramic composite which constitutes a solid waste material whose final disposal is complex and expensive. Brazil generates significant amounts of eggshell residue. This work aimed to characterize the eggshells of white, red and backyard hens and indicate their technological potential as raw material for ceramic products manufacturing. The eggshells were crushed, ground, sifted in a ABNT number 80 sieve and subsequently analyzed by X-rays fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermal analyses (DTA and TGA). Through XRF it was observed that the main constituent of eggshell is calcium oxide (CaO), with different percentages between the eggshell types. XRD analysis indicated that the chicken eggshells used in this work are mainly composed of CaCO3. DTA and TGA demonstrated that the thermal decomposition of the chicken eggshells occurs in three events: water removal; decomposition of organic matter; and decomposition of CaCO3 in CaO and CO2. By reviewing the literature, it was verified that chicken eggshells have important applications since they can be used in biomedicine, civil construction, food industries and as soil nutrients. As a result, it is possible to conclude that the chicken eggshell is rich in CaCO3 and can be easily calcined to obtain CaO.