Abstract
Cocoa beans are found inside an outer husk; 60% of the cocoa fruit is the outer husk, which is a waste biomass. The husk cannot be used directly as a soil amendment as it promotes the fungal black pod disease, which reduces crop yield. The pods are segregated from the trees, and their plant nutrient value is wasted. This is particularly true for the small acreage farmers in West Africa. Cocoa pod husk is well suited to be used as a biomass source for electricity production. The waste ash is rich in potassium, which can be converted in various chemical products, most notably, high-purity potassium carbonate. This study reviews the information known about cocoa and cocoa pod husk, and considers the socio-economic implications of creating a local economy based on collecting the cocoa pod husk for electricity production, coupled with the processing of the waste ash into various products. The study demonstrates that the concept is feasible, and also identifies the local conditions required to create this sustainable economic process.
Highlights
Cocoa is native to central America, where it normally grows beneath the canopy of taller trees.The yield of cocoa is lower when cocoa is grown in this fashion
The increase in yield is short-lived; the cocoa yield begins to be limited by soil conditions, and in particular, the potassium content of the soil [1]
The phosphorus will be present as calcium phosphate, Ca3 (PO4
Summary
Cocoa is native to central America, where it normally grows beneath the canopy of taller trees. The yield of cocoa is lower when cocoa is grown in this fashion. Clearing the shade trees increases the amount of direct sunlight reaching the cocoa trees, and the yield increases. The increase in yield is short-lived; the cocoa yield begins to be limited by soil conditions, and in particular, the potassium content of the soil [1]. A typical practice is to add fertilizers; these include the standard NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) mixtures, as well as calcium and magnesium supplements, depending on the soil conditions. Typical fertilization rates are in the range of 100–500 kg/annum per ha
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