Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Nuts for Energy

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 3 2007 (IPS) - The shell of the Brazil nut (Bertholettia excelsa), normally thrown out as waste, is a better source of energy than the best plant-based charcoal used in Brazil's steel industry, says the National Institute of Amazonian Research. “Annually, there are at least 60,000 tons of shells available, gone to waste until now,” Paulo Roberto Moura, author of the study released Jan. 24, told Tierramérica.

Burning the shells generates the same heat as the eucalyptus lumber most used in Brazil (Eucalyptus grandis), but lasts twice as long, and produces less air pollution.

As a waste product from deep inside the Amazon region, it would be ideal to use it to generate electricity locally. The added value also favors industrialization to separate and process the nut and its shell, facilitating extraction and improving final products, says Moura.