The Versatility of Cocoa Pods, From Chocolate to Flame Retardants
Chocolate is a favorite treat around the world. Especially in the United States. According to a poll from Statista, when asked what brands of chocolate or other candy do you eat most often, 70 out of 88 top responses included chocolate. To satisfy the collective craving for this indulgence, millions of cocoa pods are harvested annually. While the beans and pulp go to make chocolate, their husks are thrown away. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering show that cocoa pod husks could be a useful starting material for flame retardants.
It’s estimated that about 24 million tons of leftover cocoa pod husks are produced yearly. Waste husks contain lignin, a tough lipid polymer found in many woody plants. Lignin could be a renewable replacement for some substances typically derived from petroleum, such as flame retardants. While most methods to produce lignin have centered on hardwood trees, some scientists have processed other plant materials that would otherwise go to waste. Nicholas J. Westwood and coworkers wanted to see if high-quality lignin could be extracted from cocoa pod husks and determine whether it has the potential to make valuable, practical materials.