In Japan, there’s a product called “Shell Walls” which allows walls to be plastered with a paste made out of waste eggshells.
Making full use of the eggshell’s porous structure, Green Techno 21 created Shell Walls which withstand humidity. The eggshell plaster is hazard-free and fireproof as it is made from natural calcium carbonate.
After having their inner film peeled off, eggshells are cleansed, sterilized, crushed and ground into powder.
Then with the addition of water and gypsum to the powder, the mixture is kneaded into a plaster-like texture, with eggs as the main ingredient (more than 70 percent). This plaster can then be spread on the wall. The company also offers wallpaper in this product line, made by applying a thin coat of plaster onto “washi” (Japanese paper) with an adhesive. The Shell Walls have the unique whitish shade of eggshells and a very smooth surface finish.
After it came to attention of Kouji Shimo, the president of Green Techno 21, that huge amounts of waste eggshells are incinerated in the food industry, his company worked on producing other goods recycled from eggshells. The company’s products include chalk, powder for marking lines on the ground, rosin bags for slip prevention (in sports), soil conditioners for home gardening, and erasers.
The company plans to promote Shell Walls by reducing their weight and improving cost efficiency. It also intends to expand its efforts to achieve “zero-emissions” by working toward recycling various other waste materials.
“After having their inner film peeled off, eggshells are cleansed, sterilized, crushed and ground into powder.”
One of my housemates tries to convince me that we should peel the film off the eggshells and clean them for use in the garden. I, however, find the de-filming process to be absurdly labor intensive for the benefit. Which leaves me wondering if these walls are insanely pricey, or if they have an inexpensive source of eggshell-cleaning robots over there in Japan?