2023-06-16 06:30:24
40,000 eggshells are incinerated every year. To limit this waste, the start-up Circul’egg extracts molecules of interest from this waste, used in the food, construction and cosmetics industries. Focus on a company that is constantly expanding.
In 2020, Yacine Kabeche, still a student at AgroParisTech, is setting himself a challenge: giving eggshells a second life by creating his start-up, called Circul’egg. The objective: to extract molecules of interest from this waste from the casseries, which recover the whites and yolks of eggs to resell them to the food industry. And the resource is not likely to be lacking: each year in France, 40,000 tonnes of shells, for 15 billion eggs produced, end up being spread, or most of the time incinerated. In order to best collect this resource, Circul’egg is a partner of 80% of the 53 French casseries, most of which are located between Brittany and Normandy.
Extract molecules of interest
Once collected, the shells undergo a mechanical treatment without chemicals in order to separate the membrane that covers the inside. The start-up recovers approximately 97% of shell, 3% of membrane and a tiny part of “shell juice”, that is to say residues of egg white. The two main fractions are then reduced to a fine powder.
The shells are composed of 96% calcium carbonate, usually extracted from calcium quarries. Circul’egg resells it to the human and animal food industries as a source of calcium in food supplements, but also to cosmetics and the construction sector. Calcium carbonate is used as a functional filler in paints, furniture or floors.
As for the membrane, it is particularly rich in protein, such as collagen, but also in chondroitin sulphate and hyaluronic acid. These molecules are used by the food supplement industry, for humans and animals, and cosmetics.
In a context conducive to circular economy initiatives, Circul’egg’s recycled and biosourced products are highly coveted because they improve the environmental footprint of manufacturers. Indeed, these raw materials are usually synthesized from animal carcasses, sometimes imported from the other side of the world.
A growing start-up
It is in 2021 that the Circul’egg separation patent is published. Since then, the start-up has continued to grow. In 2022, it raises funds of around one million euros in order to develop a pilot unit in Clichy, with a processing capacity of 250 kg per day of shells. The objective: to manufacture and give samples of products to different customers to test them. After more than positive feedback and numerous orders, Circul’egg is launching a new fundraiser in 2023 for the construction of an industrial-scale factory. It will be located close to 80% of the crackers in the north-west quarter of France, at Janzé near Rennes, and will be capable of processing one tonne of shell per hour.
Not content with just building its new unit, Circul’egg is also exploring other avenues. The management team, made up of Yacine Kabeche, Justine Lecallier, Samuel Olivier and Kristen Donnart, is currently working on setting up factories inside the casseries. In addition, the company would like to install a second industrial unit close to the 20% of the remaining casseries, that is to say in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region.
Finally, Circul’egg plans to recycle other co-products, such as fruit skins, oyster shells or leftovers from breweries, for example. The accumulated experience in the processing of eggs allows him to know the expectations of the market, the regulations and the research and development part. The start-up wants to share its expertise with as many people as possible.
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