Characterization of Cocoa Waste Husks Charcoal from Suratthani Thailand as Potential Sources of High Valued Products

Cocoa husks, usually discarded as waste, possess valuable biomass that can be utilized. The objective of this research is to study the properties of charcoal obtained from the carbonization of leftover cocoa husks in the Suratthani province, Thailand. The discarded cocoa husks were carbonized in a designed charcoal kiln, and the carbonization temperature was investigated. It was found that the carbonization process had four phases, with a total duration of approximately 3.5 hours. The maximum temperature reached during carbonization was around 470 °C, and the average ignition temperature of the charcoal from cocoa husks in this research was approximately 261.1 °C. Heat analysis of the charcoal revealed a thermal conductivity of about 4678 kcal/kg. Additionally, a morphological analysis of the charcoal from cocoa husks showed higher porosity compared to dried cocoa husks. Therefore, charcoal from cocoa husks has the potential to be used in value-added products such as charcoal briquettes and odor-absorbing materials.