Utilization of Shellfish Waste as Building Construction Materials, Livestock Feed and Organic Fertilizer

Cirebon and Indramayu are port cities with a high number of people working in the fishery sector. Including from fishermen and fish sellers. Fishes are sold in quite varied, such as tuna, snapper, grouper and shellfish.

Mussels are a fishery commodity that is in great demand in Indonesia. Its existence can still be easily found by fishermen in various regions. Mussels are not only sold as a whole, complete with shells. However, it is often sold without the shell.

Provision of shellfish commodities in clean form without shells certainly provides convenience and efficiency in cooking activities. However, the problem of shell waste left over from the shell removal process cannot be completely resolved.

The method of reuse that is generally used is to modify waste shells into handicrafts, which have more values by it's aesthetic decoration and its function.

In recent years, innovations have begun to emerge with the more functional use of shellfish waste, such as as a building construction material in the form of cement or paving blocks. Unfortunately not many people are willing to produce building materials using shell waste as the main material. Knowledge to just try and do experimentation also seems not much known. Even though research related to the use of sellfish waste for building materials has been done.

It was stated by Muhammad Fauzul Imron, S.T., M.T. through the Unair News website that the conversion of shellfish waste into new minerals for sustainable cement as a substitute and additional mineral filler in cement has proven to be suitable. In addition, shellfish waste can also be a supporting material for the photocatalytic synthesis process.

Another benefit that can be taken from shellfish waste is as an ingredient in livestock feed and organic fertilizer. As livestock feed, clam shells can help livestock maintain body stamina, improve the quality of poultry eggs, prevent paralysis, anemia and weakness, also to prevent hoof and lung defects. Meanwhile, as an organic fertilizer, clam shells can help the development of microorganisms and animals that are useful for plants, for example earthworms (Redaksi Dokter Sehat).