Abstract
Four sets of locally available shells of Snail (<em>Cymbium glance</em>), Oyster (<em>Crastrostrea denticulate</em>), Crab (<em>Callinectis pallidus</em>) and Cockle (<em>Senilia senilis</em>) were studied for their potential to remove phosphorous from solution in a batch experiment. All four shells showed ability to release calcium in solution. The order of magnitude of calcium content contained in the four shells is in the order <em>C. glance > S. senilis > C. denticulate >> C. pallidus</em>.
Highlights
A shell is the exoskeleton of an animal without a backbone
Because shells are sometimes a ready available bulk source of calcium carbonate, shells such as Oyster shells are sometimes used as soil conditioners in horticulture as well as adsorbent in the removal of gases and desired ions from wastewaters as an environmental cleanup
The use of calcareous shells in Sierra Leone has exclusively been studied in relation to agriculture
Summary
A shell is the exoskeleton (hard protective outer layer) of an animal without a backbone (an invertebrate) Both freshwater and marine shells are basically composed of calcium carbonate. Based on their shape, they are used as decorations on the ground frontage of doors in the rural villages in Sierra Leone. Based on their strength, they have been used as tools e.g. some species of bivalves have been used as scrapers, blades scalps. Egbenda and Bangura [1] demonstrated the usefulness of Oyster shells in bringing about structural modifications in soils with high amount of surface-active clays and Citation: Frazer-Williams RAD (2019) Preliminary Studies on the Potential of Locally Available Shells in Sierra Leone for Phosphorous Removal.
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