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AgraTech International, Inc. is focused on developing a biotech industry centered on the biomaterial chitosan, which is commonly obtained from crustacean shells, such as shrimp and crab. To achieve that goal, AgraTech has developed a method for producing a consistently high-quality chitosan from shrimp shells (patent pending, serial number 61/037,742). Having identified a need in South Carolina for a shrimp processing facility to support the local shrimping industry, AgraTech has created a subsidiary, SC Shrimp Processing & Biotechnologies, Inc. (SC Shrimp), to address the need and to provide the raw material for the production of chitosan and the development of chitosan-based products.

SC Shrimp will produce high quality, domestic, ocean-caught shrimp products in South Carolina for sale to the consumer through supermarkets and restaurants. These products will meet an identified market need in the southeastern Atlantic Coast region of the country while also revitalizing the declining South Carolina shrimp industry. SC Shrimp intends to expand its operations to include shrimp from other Atlantic Coast states, as well as increase the variety of products made from domestic ocean-caught shrimp.

In addition to the natural shrimp products, SC Shrimp will also be producing a natural biotech product, chitosan, using the shrimp shell waste. Chitosan is a non-toxic, non-hazardous biodegradable material, making it useful in many different applications such as wastewater treatment, water purification, food additives, medical materials, cosmetics, and personal care products. As a product of a renewable natural resource, chitosan has experienced an increased level of interest during the past several years as a potential replacement for synthetic, petroleum-based materials.

SC Shrimp will endeavor to create innovative end-use products from chitosan in addition to selling chitosan in a variety of grades from industrial- to medical-grade. As the chitosan business grows, SC Shrimp will seek to establish chitosan manufacturing facilities in the Gulf Coast states to capture the large amount of shrimp shell waste produced there every year. In this way, SC Shrimp will seek to achieve AgraTech’s goal of establishing chitosan as a mainstream biomaterial in the United States and a possible replacement for synthetic plastics in everyday applications.

An application currently in development is the use of a modified chitosan to create a permanent hydrophobic surface on glass (patent pending, serial number 61/037,777). A glass surface is treated to allow the bonding of chitosan to the glass. The bound chitosan is then modified with the addition of a molecule to create a hydrophobic surface, meaning the surface repels water. Use of this technology on automobile windshields would create the same effect as some products currently available, but would not have to be re-applied and would not cause “starring” from streaks during night driving. Hydrophobic glass could also be used in the windows of skyscrapers to lessen the cleaning requirements, reducing building maintenance costs. The market for auto glass reached nearly $5 billion in 2005 and is expected to increase, while the market for window and door glass is expected to reach $36.5 billion by 2010. The potential market for the hydrophobic coating is huge, and this is only one of the many ideas AgraTech International intends to explore.