California almond industry look to turn shells into profit
With this initiative and more, experts expect the almond productionto grow by 25% in the next 3 years. While farmers focus mainly on the kernel, which they can actually sell, some in the industry are looking for ways to make better use of and profit from the waste. The board estimates that for the 2015/2016 crop year, “over 1.5 million metric tons of hulls and over 0.5 million metric tons of shells were produced, with a growing proportion needing new outlets, preferably for higher value-added uses.”
“We have shifted our mindset to view agriculture coproducts as an opportunity, not a problem.” Asserted Glenda Humiston, PhD., Vice President, UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, at the recent Almond Conference. “In fact, as research continues to find new and innovative technologies to commercialize coproducts into bioproducts, almond coproducts might someday be as profitable as the almonds themselves. It’s a win-win for the almond industry.”
Karen Lapsley, Chief Scientific Officer at the ABC has high hopes for the future of co-products from almond production. She believes that the shells may become a popular source to make bio-char out of the shells which can be used in tires and used to make stronger plastics in garbage bags and other items. If her predictions comes to fruition, almond farmers could see a new way to drastically increase their income from the same land.
source: pastemagazine.com
