S. Korea to legalize utilization of recycled seashell waste to produce limestone and cosmetics materials

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SEOUL -- South Korea will legalize the utilization of recycled seashell wastes to produce alternative materials for limestone and cosmetics products. Currently, fishery byproducts including oyster shells, seashells and abalone shells are only allowed to be used as construction raw materials and fertilizers. About one million tons of seashells are abandoned in South Korea every year.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said in a statement on March 23 that the newly revised law will take effect in July to allow the use of discarded seashells to create raw materials for various products including substitute materials for limestones used in the steelmaking industry and cosmetics. "We expect to save about 650 million won ($535,000) annually by recycling some 320,000 tons of oyster shells," the ministry's official Kim Hyung-won told Aju Business Daily.

South Korea's two steel makers -- POSCO and Hyundai Steel -- are replacing quicklime with powder made by processing shellfish and oyster shells. Quicklimes are produced by burning limestones at high temperatures. Fuel costs can be reduced by adding quicklime in the process of steelmaking.

Kim Joo-heon jhkim123@ajunews.com

S. Korea to legalize utilization of recycled seashell waste to produce limestone and cosmetics materials

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