Although the large quantities of discarded mussels produced by the fishing industry are organic matter, they decompose very slowly in landfills. However, they may soon find a new use—in the textile industry, for sandblasting jeans.
To achieve a stylish, unique, and slightly worn look, jeans typically undergo a series of finishing processes in the factory. One of the most common methods is sandblasting.
However, due to its high free silica content, this sand contributes to a high incidence of fatal silicosis among workers. While some factories still use this sand with protective respirators (or, in some less reputable factories, without respirators at all), many companies have now switched to garnet sand, which contains virtually no free silica.
Garnet sand performs better in sandblasting than quartz sand, but it is much more expensive and is a non-renewable resource. Given these and other limitations, scientists from the University of the Basque Country in Spain turned their attention to discarded mussel shells, which would otherwise be disposed of in landfills.
The researchers developed a process that involved cleaning the shells, sterilizing them with heat, crushing them in a grinder, and sifting them. Finally, using a traditional air gun, the resulting sand is sprayed onto denim fabric under high pressure.
Research shows that mussel shell pebbles are less brittle than garnet particles, making them less susceptible to destruction during sandblasting. Consequently, sandblasting produces superior results, requiring only a small amount of material to treat the same number of jeans. Reports indicate that sandblasted fabrics acquire an attractive appearance and a soft feel.
These gravel particles can be collected and reused repeatedly in several sandblasting operations until they eventually break down into fragments too small to be reused. At this point, the gravel is easier to compost than whole mussel shells.
”This is a significant achievement, and we spent a considerable amount of time obtaining these results, but we are very pleased with the final result,” said Dr. Juan Luis Osa, co-lead author of the study along with Dr. Cristina Peña. “We have confirmed the specific application of mussel grit for abrasive treatment of denim, but beyond that, the results show that mussel grit has many other applications; it may be a suitable abrasive material and can be used in other industries, such as cleaning machine parts or ships.”
The research was conducted in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and a paper was recently published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.
Post time: Apr-08-2026