Preparation of nanosized hydroxyapatite powder from snail shells for fabrication of biomedical composite

Shells from sea snails and giant snails are unused, causing the shells to pollute the environment and atmosphere. Snail shells contain CaCO3, and the activities of the microorganisms and bacteria inside them can lead to an unsafe working environment. About 95% of the shell's weight is made up of crystalline CaCO3, and 5% is organic material. The high calcium concentration can, however, be used to mitigate it. It can become hydroxyapatite (HAp). Biomedical composites, which can be a substitute for orthopaedic implants, have been on the rise since the invention of hydroxyapatite. Hydroxyapatite has the chemical composition of bone, teeth, etc. This feature makes it a good substitute for orthopaedic implants. Hydroxyapatite can be used as a bone substitute. In this research work, a sample of African giant shells and sea snail shells is used as raw materials to get the hydroxyapatite, which will be used as a biomedical composite for orthopaedic implants for human health. The process used in this is the calcination process and chemical process, which was done after thorough washing, drying, and grinding of the shells. The calcination process requires heating the product at high temperatures. The end product is calcium oxide and carbon dioxide, which is obtained from calcium carbonate.