Patent attributes
A process for manufacturing eggshell powder for use in the production of bio-based products is provided. The process involves exposing a quantity of eggshell to high air speed at room temperatures to pulverize the eggshell and separate the eggshell component from the inner membrane component. Thus, the process avoids the use of high temperatures and other harsh chemical treatments to remove the inner membrane from the eggshell thereby resulting in an eggshell material that retains the original lipid-protein structure of the native eggshell from which the powder derives. Accordingly, an eggshell powder composition is provided that is substantially free of inner membrane material and possesses a lipid-protein structure substantially similar to that of the eggshell from which the powder is derived. A polymer composite composition comprising an eggshell component and a polymer component is also provided.
