The Coconut Development Authority (CDA) is currently developing a new method of producing eco-friendly and sustainable coconut shell charcoal in hopes of introducing this product to the European market as “activated carbon”, The Morning Business learns.
Although this product has several unique uses such as in the sustenance of humans and also industrial, medical, environmental, agricultural, and fuel storage uses, the CDA claims that activated carbon is still one of the least celebrated elements in the world.
The average global demand for activated carbon amounts to a net mass of 45,308 metric tonnes (MT) which totals $ 99.6 million in value. The global demand for activated carbon is derived from a total of 54 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, Asia, Australia, and America.
One of the concerns raised by the CDA, which also led them down this path of innovation, pertained to the irregular methods of coconut shell charcoal production used in the past, which involved adding harmful gases such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide to the ecosystem.
Thus, the CDA took measures to create an environmentally friendly product for which there is a high demand in the foreign market. This also allows the CDA to possibly earn three to four times more income, which would ultimately increase foreign inflows to the country.
Additionally, the CDA collaborated with Jacobi Carbon Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd. and Haycarb PLC so as to accurately transition from the old coconut shell charcoal production methods to an eco-friendly process and product.
Moreover, following a daily activated carbon production of one tonne per day by using three tonnes of raw materials (coconut shells), the CDA is able to cater to the international demand in the activated carbon market.
Considering the average European demand for coconut shell charcoal in 2020, the CDA is aiming to supply an estimated net mass of 3,244 MT, which amounts to $ 1.5 million in value. Also, the CDA highlighted that they will be targeting the Netherlands, Croatia, Germany, UK, France, and Italy for export.
In addition to this, the CDA stated that Belgium, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic in the European Union; Serbia, Albania, Kuwait, and Iraq in the Middle East; Nicaragua; Bangladesh; Mongolia; and Vietnam are targeted for the exportation of this product in the future.
Notably, global export quantities of this product amounts to a net mass of 12,038 MT which totals $ 5.5 million in value.
Furthermore, the CDA hopes to direct the public to construct coconut burning stoves for the purpose of making coconut shell charcoal, as it is commonly used as fuel in both domestic and industrial applications. It is made by carbonising coconut shells when burning them with a small air supply. Coal-based charcoal has larger macro-pores that can contain larger colour and protein molecules, and similarly, wood-based charcoal has a pore structure which is large in the centre.
Meanwhile, the micro-pore structure of activated charcoal made from coconut shells is well known for its ability to absorb tiny air/gas molecules. The manufacture of coconut shell charcoal from the coconut shell has become a very important economic and commercial activity.
Charcoal has been produced in Sri Lanka since 1989. Carbonisation is used to convert coconut shells to char or charcoal. The charring process (the making of charcoal) is known as pyrolysis, which is the chemical decomposition of the shell by heating in the absence of oxygen.
As a pilot plant, a continuous vertical carbonisation plant with an input capacity of three tonnes of raw material (coconut shells) per day, which can produce about one tone charcoal per day, will be implemented.