From trash to treasure, the case of cashew nut shells

Egid B. Mubofu  earned his PhD in June 2002 from the University of York where he worked on novel environmentally benign supported palladium catalysts under the supervision of Prof. dr. James H. Clark and Dr. Duncan Macqurrie in the green chemistry group. He went on to become The National Research School Combination Catalysis (NRSCC, Netherlands) postdoctoral fellow (2002-2003) at the University of Groningen, Stratingh Institute where he worked on the use of water as an alternative cleaner solvent for performing organic reactions, especially Lewis acid catalysed Diels-Alder reactions under Prof. dr. Jan Engberts. In December 2003 he took the position of a lecturer in the Chemistry Department at the University of Dar es Salaam where he is now a senior lecturer and Head of the Department.

Dr. Mubofu’s research interests are on Green Chemistry, nanomaterials and catalysis. He is involved with the novel chemical modification of nanomaterial surfaces and their application to different reactions, such as acid-catalysed reactions, water treatment by nanomaterials, catalytic oxidations and carbon-carbon bond forming transformations (Suzuki coupling, Heck-Mizoroki, Diels-Alder). He is heavily involved on the synthesis of nanomaterials using locally and cheaply available capping agents for energy use. He has developed several palladium/copper heterogeneous catalysts (metal and biocatalysts) using chemically modified MTS using Cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) surfactant. The talk at the University of York will focus on how cashew nut shells (an agro waste from cashew nut processing factories) has been employed by his group to produce several functional materials. The functional materials that will be highlighted during the presentation include but not limited to: Heterogeneous catalysts, Polymers from CNSL components, Anacardic acid capped lead/ cadminium Chalcogenide Nanoparticles, synthesis of 3-propylphenol from cardanol and Synthesis of detergents from CNSL components.