VietNamNet Bridge - Shrimp waste - heads and shells – are being used to produce animal feed and biological derivatives, resulting in high profits and a reduction of air pollution at processing plants. 

Six years ago in Ca Mau province, the ‘metropolis’ of the aquaculture and seafood processing industry, shrimp shells discharged from processing were in piles as high as a mountain.

Every day, Minh Phu Seafood JSC threw away 50-100 tons of shrimp heads and shells. The mountain of shrimp waste produced a bad odor after being exposed to the sun and rain.

This prompted Hoang Viet Tung, a member of the board of directors of VNF, to draw up a plan to take advantage of the waste. He signed contracts with large seafood companies on buying shrimp waste from them.

VNF collects more than 100 tons of waste products every day. The company undertakes all the steps of the waste collection process to ensure quality and hygiene of the waste. 

Shrimp waste - heads and shells – are being used to produce animal feed and biological derivatives, resulting in high profits and a reduction of air pollution at processing plants.

In the past, shrimp heads and shells thrown on the ground contained impurities. Now, VNF sets up conveyor belts to put shrimp waste into tanks.

With the belts, VNF can collect shrimp heads and shells just 30 minutes after the waste is split from seafood processing factories. The biggest value is that it can help settle environmental problems ysing high technology.

In the past, the waste from shrimp farming and seafood processing activities caused serious air and water pollution. 

This forced the Ca Mau provincial authorities to increase public spending to settle environmental problems every year. Since VNF began operating the system which collects waste right from the source, the life of 1.2 million local residents has been upgraded.

According to Tung, shrimp shells will decompose within four hours if it cannot be put in cold storage in the right way. 

Therefore, VNF decided to set up satellite collection units at every shrimp processing factory. This method is less costly than organizing mobile collection units, while it allows to control the quality of input materials.

The waste can be used to make animal feed. However, he believes that shrimp waste will bring higher economic efficiency if it is used to make biological derivatives.

One kilo of shrimp heads can be sold at a low price of several thousands of dong to animal feed manufacturers. 

However, if the waste is used to make biological derivatives that serve the food industry, the price could be VND20,000. 

If it used to make shrimp paste, the price would be VND100,000. And if someone can make chitosan used to produce food wrap, or artificial plastic, it would sell for $400-500 per kilo. 

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