Calcium Acetate Drug Produced from Invasive Gastropod Shells: Green Process Control Assisted by Raman Technology.

The highly demanded calcium acetate (Ca(CHCOO)) for biomedicine and various industries constantly requires green and low-cost methods of synthesis. In the present work, a sustainable approach to produce Ca(CHCOO) is reported as a proof of concept, processing for the first time as a starting material the worldwide highly abundant shells, which is a neglected biogenic waste with high economical potential due to the rich mineral and organic pigmentary content. A green synthesis involving an eco-friendly acetic acid has been optimized at room temperature, without any additional energy consumption, and the resulting saturated Ca(CHCOO) solution was further slowly evaporated in three stages to obtain white Ca(CHCOO) crystalline powder, without impurity traces. Raman spectroscopy provided efficient structural information for every step of the process control, during demineralization as well as end product validation. Yields as high as 87.5% of highly pure Ca(CHCOO) mass have been achieved from raw shells, proving the uniqueness and economic viability of the method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), and Fourier-Transform IR spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses validated the final product identity, hydration status, crystalline morphology, and composition. The purity of the resulting product suggests a high valorization potential of the abundant shell in the context of the blue bioeconomy and offers a cleaner and efficient method of Ca(CHCOO) production with important applications in relevant industries.