PASSCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) — There's money to be made from the hulls of peeled shrimp, material that usually ends up in landfills. A facility opening along Mississippi's Gulf Coast will process these shrimp exoskeletons and harvest the material known as chitin for use in a variety of products.
WLOX-TV reports that the Mari Signum Dragon Drying plant near the Vancleave community held a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday.
The $2 million plant will dry and package the chitin, employing about 40 people at between $15 and $40 an hour when it reaches full capacity next year.
Company CEO John Keys says Louisiana and Mississippi are the nation's busiest shrimp harvesting areas.
