Eggshell membrane: A unique waste biomaterial with multidisciplinary applications

Eggshell membrane (ESM) is a unique biomaterial, which is generally considered waste. However, it has extraordinary properties which can be utilized in various fields and therefore it is being widely studied these days. Within this paper, the examples of multidisciplinary applications of the ESM are given. The author has published a review paper on this topic recently (Baláž, 2014a). Particular attention is devoted to the utilization of the ESM as a biotemplate for the synthesis of nanoparticles, as a biosorbent of heavy metals and dyes, as the main component of various biosensors and in medicine. As the application potential of the ESM is limited due to its insolubility, the preparation and utilization of soluble eggshell membrane protein (SEP) is also briefly mentioned. In the last part of the paper, the research activities of the authors’ scientific group focusing on the field of mechanochemistry dealing with the eggshell biomaterial in general is mentioned, as they may be of great interest for the symposium community. Three concrete examples are given, namely the utilization of the ESM for the mechanochemical synthesis of semiconductor nanocrystals, the possibility of co-milling the eggshell with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in order to transform the waste reactants into lessharmful or even benefitial products and the utilization of a planetary-ball-milled eggshell as an adsorbent of cadmium from model solution. This paper belongs to the field of materials science and therefore is somehow exotic for the community of the symposium. Nevertheless, I am of the opinion that it could be very interesting, as eggshell membrane and eggshell are unique biomaterials, which should be not just thrown away and disposed at landfills, but they can be effectively re-used. This is the main idea of the paper.