Founder of Just Egg (Chilled Foods) Ltd in Leicester, Pankaj Pancholi, like any other businessman, faced the trouble of disposing off waste. A firm that solely thrives on selling hard-boiled eggs, It costs the company £50,000 a year just to get rid of the messy and smelly left overs that were carted away to be buried. The tedious task at hand and the finances that were spent on it, made Pankaj look for an alternative that would help solve his problem.
Talking to Gujarat Samachar/Asian Voice about his business, he said, "My business is to hard-boil eggs and sell them on the market. We buy raw eggs in large quantities, from all over the Europe. The eggs are than boiled and used in various ways , such as Egg salads, Eggmayonnaise, pickled eggs, sandwiches, etc. We sell across the UK to supermarkets, and eateries. Normally if an egg weighs 35 gm, its shell takes up for 12 per cent, that is 4 gm of its weight. We sell 1,500,000 eggs a week. The entire collective waste was until now thrown away, and used as landfiller. Not only did it cost us £50,000 per annum but there was considerable work behind the disposal. As we spent a lot of money every year, I thought why not make the best out of waste? I talked to Dr Andy Abbott of the Chemistry Department of the University of Leicester and also gave him the necessary funds to mend the situation."
Teaming up with Dr Abbott and the chemistry department, Pankaj was determined to find a way to earn revenue off recycling the waste. The team found out that waste egg shell can be separated from the egg white. The clean shell is mostly just calcium carbonate and can be used as a filler for plastics. They soon found a way to clean the shells and grind them into a fine powder that can be added to different plastics as a filler material to make them more hard-wearing. The flakes are also rich in keratin, the main substance of human skin, which may be used for medical applications.
"Once the use was discovered, putting the process into practice was the next step. My factory is open from seven in the morning to ten in the evening. The expenses on such machinery was heavy. So, I contacted my friend from Delta Engineering, Grimsby, Mike McNamara. He made the machinery needed and its total cost was calculated at around £300,000. We contacted Food and Drinks iNet, and received 30 per cent grant. We have put together all the machines and conducted trials. What was waste to us, is now a mean to earn a little something. This discovery is profitable for me from all sides," Mr Pancholi said.
He said the research could bring big benefits to the food and drink sector. "If I wasn't spending the money for landfill costs, I could employ another worker or two part-time workers, or invest that money in R&D and innovation. It would be great if the egg shells could ultimately be recycled to be used in the plastic packaging that we use for egg products, like our new hardboiled eggs in packs. This is a really eggciting project."
The whole process starts with the shells tipped into tanks along a conveyor belt, where they are mixed with water and then poured into rotating blades. The broken down product is then washed with a solvent to remove leftover protein. Later, the shells are dried and ground into a fine powder, the consistency of which can be varied according to the type of plastic to be filled.
Supporting the project, Food and Drink iNet director Richard Worrall said, "Egg shell is classified as a waste material by the food industry but is in fact a highly sophisticated composite. The scientists at the university have identified a number of uses for egg shell waste and the Food and Drink iNet is very pleased to support a 'Collaborate to Innovate' research project to examine egg shell recycling solutions. This could have potential benefit on many levels, both for food manufacturers and a much wider industry."
Associated with Darpan Arts group, Pankaj Pancholi is more than just a sharp businessman. A microbiologist by education, he has enthusiastically participated in 30-40 theatre dramas for hobby. He lives with his wife Bina, father Ambalal Pancholi, mother Kanta and younger son Sagar. His eldest, Nishal is a project engineer with Siemens. Pankaj has been in the egg industry for more than 25 years, and his company specialises in all things associated with Egg. Just Egg is also said to be the first company to introduce ready-to-eat Twin Hard-Boiled Egg pack for the retail market, and the first to pack eggs for trade customers in cardboard containers, a move that aimed to reduce waste and save costs. "Over all the years, I always thought hard-boiled eggs could be sold in supermarkets, as a ready convenient nutritious food," he said.
One of the active readers of Gujarat Samachar, Pankaj has known editor/publisher CB Patel since his days in Bhavans. He believes that nobody takes their knowledge to the grave. Pankaj said he does not need publicity, and is simply happy with the breakthrough.
