Background
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, cardanol and its derivatives have several industrial uses as biobased additives, polymeric building blocks, and biodiesel. At the Centre of Expertise Materials and Energy Transition, we are looking into the possibilities of preparation of epoxidized cardanol under mild and eco-friendly conditions.
Assignment description
The aim of the project “Enzymatic preparation of epoxidized cardanol and thermosets’’ is to gain insight in enzymatic preparation and characterization of epoxidized cardanol.
The project activities consist of:
- Determination of epoxidized strategy.
- Optimize epoxidation conditions. Properties of the epoxidized cardanol will be characterized using FTIR, 1HNMR, HPLC.
- Preparation of thermosets using the epoxidized cardanols and hardeners. Properties of the thermosets will be characterized using TGA and DSC.
The intern will be part of a research team led by the adviser and supervised by Minkenberg, C.B. (Christophe) <c.b.minkenberg@hr.nl> and Qian Zhou.
Related information
Kim, Y. H., An, E. S., Park, S. Y., & Song, B. K. (2007). Enzymatic epoxidation and polymerization of cardanol obtained from a renewable resource and curing of epoxide-containing polycardanol. Journal of Molecular Catalysis B: Enzymatic, 45(1-2), 39-44.
Desirable skills/qualities of the student
The student should be able to carry out independent laboratory research. The preferred background is polymer chemistry.
Starting date & compensation
The proposed starting date is September 2024. The length of the assignment is 5 months.
The student will get an internship fee of €350,- per month.
Contact
Contact person concerning this assignment: Qian Zhou
Phone: +316 10224446
E-mail: q.zhou1@avans.nl
Visiting address: Centre of Expertise Materials and Energy Transition
Street / number, areal code and place: Lovendijkstraat 63, Breda
Postal address: 4800 RA