Shrimp shells turned into carbon negative hydrogen fuel food and construction materials

Engineers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have developed a process that turns shrimp shells into carbon negative hydrogen gas, cultured protein for aquaculture feed, and calcium carbonate for cement. The method uses solar powered electrolysis and avoids the explosive oxygen issues of standard water electrolysis, while also keeping organic waste out of landfills. The lab setup produces 14 liters of hydrogen per hour, though it is about half as efficient as commercial green hydrogen techniques. The process also generates biogenic calcium carbonate that could replace quarried limestone in cement, and a protein supplement made by fermenting leftovers with purple bacteria. The team says selling multiple products could help balance the economics, but electricity costs remain the biggest expense. Scaling from a lab proof of concept to a plant processing 200 metric tons of shrimp shells per year will require improving production rates and lowering costs to compete with gray hydrogen.