Our international team is always looking for products around the world that fit perfectly into our portfolio – one of the latest additions are cashew nut shells.
Cashew nut shells are a biomass fuel that is a by-product of cashew processing. For a long time, the hard shells were only considered waste, but in recent years there has been growing interest in utilising them as a fuel due to their high energy content and availability. A driving factor for this is the ongoing shift towards more sustainable industrial production, which is leading to a transformation in the fuel supply away from fossil fuels and towards renewable raw materials.
For this reason, we recently started a pilot project with cashew nut shells. The shells come from West Africa and were transported loose in containers by ship to the port of Hamburg. From there, they were transported to our site in Mölln, where the containers were emptied and the shells are stored temporarily in dry conditions.
To guarantee the quality and efficiency of the product, we also had calorific value analyses carried out. The results confirm the performance of cashew nut shells as a high-calorific fuel. They are therefore very suitable for use in power plants to generate energy. As a rule, this is realised by combining them with other fuels such as biomass, for example wood chips, which may not be of the required quality. The respective material is blended with the cashew nut shells and thus any quality deficiencies can be compensated for.
Overall, the thermal utilisation of cashew nut shells opens up promising opportunities for use as a renewable energy source and for diversifying the energy supply. Its potential can be further exploited through targeted technological adaptations and the promotion of international partnerships.
Initially, we intend to supply northern Germany and neighbouring countries such as Denmark with the cashew nut shells. Thanks to the cooperation with our partner, we can offer these in bulk, both by container and by ship. The potential customer base consists primarily of power plants and industrial customers who have a strong focus on future-orientated solutions and are actively turning to biofuels.
The integration of products such as cashew nut shells as a fuel is an important step towards a more sustainable energy future. At the Brüning Group, we are watching this development with great interest and recognise the enormous potential of such products. We are committed to informing our customers about these possibilities and supporting them in their implementation.
