Vecop Recycling seashell by-products for use in constructing pervious urban paving

The VECOP project, managed by the Caen-based laboratory ESITC, involves producing a new eco-material for constructing pervious 'eco-paving' by commercially developing the shell by-products from queen scallops, king scallops and slipper limpets to optimise management of these natural resources.
The VECOP pervious 'eco-paving' is intended for use in urban developments where traffic is light: pavements, kerbstones, pedestrianised squares and streets. Based on seashell by-products, the paving will combine rainwater drainage, mechanical resistance and permeability properties.
To meet the required technical and environmental performance targets for the eco-material to be used, the project will select and pre-process shell by-products to improve their physico-chemical and mineralogical properties. The project will also develop industrial manufacturing and application processes for this 'eco-paving'.
Lastly, the VECOP project will provide a real solution to the basic problem of the proliferation of slipper limpets by offering the potential to economically develop a high added-value product from their shells. The project will also contribute to developing the technical, economic and environmental aspects of an industry based on seashell by-products in the regions of Brittany and Lower Normandy.