Within MNEXT, the Biobased Building Blocks & Products research group works on innovative applications of biobased raw materials. Researcher Moctar Coulibaly focuses within Totally Nuts on the use of cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL): an oil that makes up approximately 30% of the mass of cashew shells. This oil was traditionally used as fuel, but research has shown that it contains components that can be used as biobased platform molecules, including cardanol. These components are applicable in thermosetting plastics, and thus also in composites and coatings that require a combination of hardness and elasticity.
The practice-oriented research within Totally Nuts focuses on multiple steps in the chain. In collaboration with companies, educational institutions, and other knowledge partners, work is done on optimizing the extraction and separation of the oil from the shells, as well as on the purification toward mixtures suitable for use in thermosetting plastics. Within MNEXT, the focus is on investigating the properties of the materials that can be developed from these components, such as strength, water and weather resistance, and aging.
Additionally, possibilities are explored to make these materials more recyclable or biodegradable. Traditional thermosetting plastics cannot be remelted or easily reused after use. By developing biobased alternatives that perform well and offer the prospect of a longer lifespan and better reusability, this research contributes to more sustainable material applications.
In the Verf & Inkt Magazine article, Moctar Coulibaly explains how practice-oriented research at MNEXT contributes to valorizing residual streams and to the development of biobased alternatives to fossil-based materials.
Read the full article on the website of Verf & Inkt Magazine issue 77.
