The Use of Mango Stones as a Source of Valuable Fats and a Renewable Energy
Cambodia is one of the world’s important mango producers. The processing of mango creates processing waste – the mango stone which is woody and of big size. Currently, stones are only treated as a waste and in case of bigger fruit processers it performs a problem for local environment.
Mendel University in Brno together tackles this problem with Czech technical know-how related to the processing of fruit stones to valuable fats and fuel pellets. The proposed solution is to elaborate a feasibility study which will analyze the current production of waste in form of mango stones, suggest local possibilities of its treatment and pilot extraction of oils and fabrication of pellets.
The project team together with their local partner Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) will transfer the technical knowledge to fruit processers from the food industry resort. The practical study will be carried out on the case of another project partner – Kirirom Food Production (KFP) who is producing dried mango using the fuel wood for heating the driers.
The problem of deforestation connected with fuel wood use is one of the most serious problems in Cambodia. Substitute, at least partially, the fuel wood for pellets made from mango waste will improve the environment and affect local people.