Transformation of Organic Cacao (Theobroma cacao) Husk into Commercial

Introduction: agroindustrial wastes can be transformed to mitigate the negative impacts associated with their disposal. In cocoa production, cocoa pod husk (CPH) constitutes between 67% and 76% of the total cocoa weight. This study focuses on the potential of CPH as a valuable resource for producing activated carbon, cellulose, and potassium hydroxide (KOH). Objective: The objective of this research was to characterize and transform the CPH obtained from an organic crop in San Bernardo-Ibagué (Colombia) into activated carbon, cellulose, and KOH. Methods: activated carbon was produced through chemical activation using KOH, with a specific procedure for characterizing the obtained product through thermal analysis (TGA) and nitrogen adsorption and desorption isotherms. For cellulose extraction, an alkaline treatment with 2% w/w NaOH was followed by a bleaching process with 2.5% w/w sodium hypochlorite. KOH was obtained by first extracting potassium carbonate and then causticizing it. Results: activated carbon (AC) was produced with a yield of 25.6%, exhibiting a surface area of 468 m²/g, a mean pore diameter of 10.8 nm, and a total pore volume of 0.228 cm³/g, with 60% fixed carbon, 27% volatile material, 6% ash, and 6% moisture. Conclusions: the transformation of cocoa pod husk into activated carbon, cellulose, and KOH provides a sustainable approach to managing agroindustrial waste, generating valuable products with significant potential for various applications. The results obtained demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing CPH as a resource in agroindustrial processes.

• Autores: Valencia Cardona, Luis Fernando; Tovar Penagos, Ana María; Villa Holgín, Aída Luz
• Tipo de recurso: Article of investigation
• Fecha de publicación: 2024
• Institución: Universidad de Antioquia
• Repositorio: Repositorio UdeA
• Idioma: eng
• OAI Identifier: oai:bibliotecadigital.udea.edu.co:10495/46675
• Acceso en línea: https://hdl.handle.net/10495/46675
• Palabra clave: Hidróxido de potasio; Potassium hydroxide; Carbón activado; Carbon, activated; Celulosa; Cellulose; Residuo de cosechas; Crop residues; Mazorca de cacao; Cacao pods; Cáscaras de cacao; Cocoa husks; http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_3a29c926; http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh2008005272; ODS 9: Industria, innovación e infraestructura. Construir infraestructuras resilientes, promover la industrialización inclusiva y sostenible y fomentar la innovación; ODS 12: Producción y consumo responsables. Garantizar modalidades de consumo y producción sostenibles; ODS 13: Acción por el Clima. Adoptar medidas urgentes para combatir el cambio climático y sus efectos; ODS 15: Vida de ecosistemas terrestres. Proteger, restablecer y promover el uso sostenible de los ecosistemas terrestres, gestionar sosteniblemente los bosques, luchar contra la desertificación, detener e invertir la degradación de las tierras y detener la pérdida de biodiversidad
• Rights: openAccess
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/