The cashew shell is used to extract cashew nutshellliquid (CNSL), which is an important by-product of cashew industry. The nut hasa shell of about 1/8 inch thickness inside which is a soft honeycomb structurecontaining a dark reddish brown viscous liquid. It is called the cashew nutshell liquid, which is the per carp fluid of the cashew nut.
CNSL has innumerable applications, such as frictionlinings, paints, laminating resins, rubber compounding resins, cashew cements,polyurethane based polymers, surfactants, epoxy resins, foundry chemicals, andintermediates for chemical industry. The shell liquid, which is extracted outof the outer shell of the nut, also has industrial applications in theautomotive industry, leather, and tobacco curing. It offers much scope andvaried opportunities for the development of other tailor-made polymers.
Indiahas the largest area under cashew and is confined mainly to the peninsularareas. It is grown in Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra along the west coastand Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal along the east coast.The highest productivity is observed in Kerala and Maharashtra with over oneton per ha. India is also one of the largest cashew consuming countries in theworld.
Thedemand for cashew nut is gradually increasing. India is leading producer, processor, consumer and exporter of cashewnuts in the world. It is one of the important agricultural commodities exportedfrom India to many countries in the world. About two third of cashew producedin the country is consumed locally. India accounts for 65 percent of totalcashew nut exports in the world and export cashew to more than 60 countries.
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