Cashew Nut Shell (CNS) is a waste generated in the production of edible cashew nut. For the 2017 the predicted cashew nuts crop yield is 3 million tons; resulting to 2 million tons of CNS waste. CNS contains circa 30-35% brown viscous liquid, called Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL), this is a natural resin containing valuable components, for example, cardanol, cardol and anacardic acid. Especially, cardonal and its derivatives have several industrial uses as biobased additives, polymeric building blocks, and biodiesel. The components of the CNSL depends on the extraction process. It is necessary to have the detailed information about the amount of the main components (cardanol, cardol and anacardic acid ) in the CNSL. 

Goal 

✓ Separation, Identify and quantify the main components (cardanol, cardol and anacardic acid) in the Cashew Nut Shell Liquid 

✓ Prepare and characterization cardanol derived epoxy resin 

Project activities 

✓ Separate the main components cardanol, cardol and anacardic acid in the Cashew Nut Shell Liquid using column chromatography, distillation, and extraction. 

✓ Qualify and quantify the main components cardanol, cardol and anacardic acid in the Cashew Nut Shell Liquid using different characterization methods (HPLC/UV-vis/NMR/GC). 

✓ Prepare and characterization cardanol derived epoxy resin (FTIR, DSC, TGA) 

Related Information 

1. Lomonaco, Diego, Giuseppe Mele, and Selma E. Mazzetto. “Cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL): from an agro-industrial waste to a sustainable alternative to petrochemical resources.” Cashew Nut Shell Liquid. Springer International Publishing, 2017. 19-38. 

2. Morais, Selene M., et al. “Anacardic acid constituents from cashew nut shell liquid: NMR characterization and the effect of unsaturation on its biological activities.” Pharmaceuticals 10.1 (2017): 31. 

Starting date 

September 2021. The length of the assignment is 5 months. The student who will execute the assignment gets a fee of €350,- per month. 

The intern will be part of a research team lead by the adviser and supervised by Qian Zhou. 

Desirable skills/qualities of the student 

The student should be able to carry out independent laboratory research. The preferred background is chemistry. 

logo-avans-hogeschoolContact: 

Contact person concerning this assignment : Qian Zhou 

Phone : +316 10224446 

E-mail : q.zhou1@avans.nl 

Visiting address : Centre of Expertise Biobased Economy 

Street / number, areal code and place : Lovendijkstraat 63, Breda 

Postal address : 4800 RA 

 

Bij het gebruik van deze website gaat u akkoord met het gebruik van cookies. Meer informatie

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close