Abstract
Eggshells have been reported to generate huge tons of waste globally. Various uses of eggshells are widely reported in the literature in terms of dietary supplements, filler in bones, etc. through their extraction as a Ca source. In this study, 900 degrees C was adopted for CaO and CaCO3 formation from the eggshell. This heated eggshell powder was further reacted with hydrofluoric acid (HF) aqueous solution to prepare CaF2. This CaF2 was first tested for antibacterial activity against E. coli, which indicated that CaF2 derived from eggshell was effective as an antibacterial. By incorporating CaF2 (5%, 10%, and 15% by wt.) into cement mortar, it was found that the mortar composites showed antibacterial activity. Furthermore, photocatalytic activity was monitored using the degradation of the dye solution. All the mortar composites have demonstrated photocatalytic properties.