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Ex ac ion o aw po ash om cocoa pods: In luence o ime and wa e olume
Hadebe y A mel Oli ie KONAN *, Conand Hono é KOUAKOU, Assoumou Joseph YOMANFO and Edjikémé
EMERUWA
Depa men o Ea h Sciences and Mining Resou ces, Félix Houphouë Boigny Uni e si y, Labo a o y o Soil, Wa e and
Geoma e ials Sciences, Abidjan, I o y Coas .
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(01), 3628-3633
Publica ion his o y: Recei ed on 18Ma ch 2025; e ised on 26 Ap il 2025; accep ed on 28 Ap il 2025
A icle DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.30574/wja .2025.26.1.1525
Abs ac
This pape has been w i en as pa o eco e y o cocoa was e. This s udy aims o ex ac aw po ash om he ashes o
d y cocoa pods using dis illed wa e . Fo his pu pose, cocoa pods and dis illed wa e ha e been used. Two me hods
ha e been conduc ed: In he i s pa , a 50-g am sample o ash is dissol ed in di e en olumes o dis illed wa e ha
a e 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 ml and hen le o s and o 24 hou s. In he second pa , 50 g o ash a e dissol ed
in 200 ml o dis illed wa e wi h a iable con ac imes be ween wa e and ash anging om 1 hou o 8 hou s, in one-
hou s eps. The il a es ob ained om solu ion a e hea ed o e apo a ion in an o en o eco e he pelle s and weighed.
Resul s shows ha he masses o aw po ash collec ed inc ease wi h he olume o he wa e , also he masses o aw
po ash pelle sinc ease wi h he du a ion o he wa e -ash con ac .
Keywo ds: Cocoa Was e; Cocoa Pods; Ashes; Raw Po ash Pelle s
1. In oduc ion
Wi h he conside a ion o he concep s o sus ainable de elopmen and ci cula economy, he alo iza ion o ag icul u al
by-p oduc s is gaining momen um in ce ain coun ies whose economy is based on ag icul u e such as I o y Coas .
Indeed, I o y Coas , he wo ld's leading cocoa p oduce , by-p oduc s om hese indus ial p oduc s a e used as
e ilize s o soil e iliza ion, (Konan, 2019), (Adom and Yao, 2020), (Kouassi and Tano, 2021). Simila ly, o he s udies
ha e endea o ed o use ash om ag icul u al by-p oduc s as cemen addi i es. Rice husk ash has a high amo phous
silica con en (Meh a, 1987). They eac wi h he ee lime in cemen o p oduce calcium silica e hyd a es which inc ease
he comp essi e s eng h o conc e e. The addi ion o 10 o 20% o ice husk ash o cemen imp o es he du abili y o
conc e e o a acks by chlo ide and sul a e ions (Ganesan e al., 2008). Suga cane s alk ash has an in e es ing pozzolanic
e ec (Khalil and Anwa , 2015). Walnu shell ash has simila cha ac e is ics o suga cane s alk ash i made ine , bu i
con ains less silica. Calcined biomass ash con ains mine als: silica and calcium, which a e in ol ed in pozzolanic
eac ions. In addi ion, he wo k ca ied ou by Akon e al., 2024 has shown he pozzolanic po en ial o palm ke nel was e
ash as a cemen i ious addi i e; his ash has e y in e es ing pozzolanic p ope ies and can be used in cemen i ious
ma e ials.
Acco ding o ASTM C 618 s anda ds, ash is classi ied in o h ee classes (F, C and N). Among hese, class N ash is
nume ous bu has low eac i i y. Howe e , some con ain high p opo ions o po ash. Recen s udies indica e ha po ash
can be used o p oduce geopolyme s. Geopolyme s a e mine al ma e ials ob ained by polyme iza ion o
aluminosilica es (clays, slags e c.) ac i a ed by an alkaline solu ion such as po ash o c ea e a s able h ee-dimensional
s uc u e. Thus, he po ash con ained in he ash om ag icul u al by-p oduc s could be ex ac ed and used in he
manu ac u e o geopolyme s usable in cons uc ion. This ex ac ion o po ash om ag icul u al by-p oduc ash would
no only be a solu ion o educe he ca bon oo p in linked o he p oduc ion o Po land cemen , bu would also
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(01), 3628-3633
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con ibu e o he ci cula economy by gi ing alue o unused esou ces while educing he en i onmen al impac o he
cons uc ion indus y. Cocoa pods a e a sou ce o he p oduc ion o po ash om biomass. Howe e , is i ad isable o
op imize po ash p oduc ion om hese ashes?
To add ess his issue, echniques such as acid leaching, alkaline hyd olysis, and enzyma ic biodiges ion o he
ex ac ion o mine als om ag icul u al esidues a e dis inguished by hei e iciency and low ecological impac
(N'guessan e al., 2021). Fo example, acid leaching can ex ac mine als om cocoa shells, while alkaline hyd olysis can
e icien ly eco e phospha es om plan was e (Ko i and Kouamé, 2018). Simila ly, he use o speci ic enzymes in he
biodiges ion o co n esidues signi ican ly imp o es he a ailabili y o po assium and o ganic ni ogen (Fo ana and
Diallo, 2023). The implemen a ion o some o hem is qui e complex. Also, o allow he popula iza ion o geopolyme s
om po ash ex ac ed om biomass, he leaching echnique was used in his s udy. The aim o his s udy is o de ine
he op imal condi ions o he leaching o po ash om cocoa pod ash. This in ol es de e mining he in luence o sol en
olume and ea men du a ion on he quan i y, pu i y, and kine ics o po ash pelle p oduc ion. Unde s anding he
in luence o hese p oduc ion condi ions will help imp o e po ash ex ac ion om po ash- ich ash.
2. Me hodology
2.1. Ma e ial
2.1.1. D ied cocoa pods
The d ied pods o cocoa (Theob oma cacao) used in his s udy come om he own o F esco, loca ed 176 km as he
c ow lies om Abidjan. A e collec ion, hey a e s acked and d ied again. They a e hen ca e ully cleaned o emo e
any sand and o he deb is. These d ied pods a e calcined, and he esul ing ash is passed h ough a 125-mic ome e
sie e. This sie e is used o he es o he wo k.
2.2. Me hods
The expe imen al me hod is ca ied ou in wo s ages. In he i s pa , a 50-g am sample o ash is dissol ed in di e en
olumes o dis illed wa e and hen le o s and o 24 hou s. The i s olume o wa e is 100 ml. To ob ain he o he
olumes, he quan i y o wa e is inc eased by 100 ml un il eaching 600 ml. A e 24 hou s o con ac be ween he ash
and he wa e (Figu e 1), he solu ion is il e ed and hen he il a e (Figu e 2) is hea ed in an o en a 105º C un il
pelle s appea .
In he second pa , 50 g o ash a e dissol ed in 200 ml o dis illed wa e wi h a iable con ac imes be ween wa e and
ash anging om 1 hou o 8 hou s, in one-hou s eps. The solu ions ob ained a e il e ed, and he il a es a e hea ed
in an o en o eco e he pelle s. Each mass o pelle s and he ash a e weighed (Figu e 3).
Figu e 1 Ash-wa e mix u e Figu e 2 Fil a e
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(01), 3628-3633
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Figu e 3 Collec ed pelle s o po ash
Table 1 Summa y o he expe imen al p o ocol
Ash mass (g)
Con ac du a ion (Hou s)
Volume o dis illed wa e used (ml)
Solu ion ID
50
1
200
S 200-1
50
2
200
S 200-2
50
4
200
S 200-4
50
6
200
S 200-6
50
7
200
S 200-7
50
8
200
S 200-8
50
10
200
S 200-10
50
12
200
S 200-12
50
24
200
S 200-24
50
24
100
S 100-24
50
24
300
S 300-24
50
24
400
S 400-24
50
24
500
S 500-24
50
24
600
S 600-24
3. Resul s
3.1. In luence o sol en olume on ash dissolu ion
The esul s o he a ia ion o he masses o po ash collec ed as a unc ion o he olume o sol en a e p esen ed in
Figu e 4.
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(01), 3628-3633
3631
Figu e 4 E olu ion o he mass o c ude po ash as a unc ion o he olume o he sol en
This igu e shows ha he masses o aw po ash collec ed inc ease wi h he olume o he sol en . Fo example, when
he sol en is 100 ml, he mass o aw po ash collec ed is 10.2 g. This mass inc eases om 19.2 g when he sol en
olume inc eases o 300 ml. This co esponds o an inc ease in he mass o aw po ash o 88% compa ed o he sol en
olume o 100 ml. The inc ease in he olume o sol en in he cocoa pod ash (ash/sol en a io ≥ 1/6) p omo es a
s ong elease o po ash in o he solu ion.
Figu e 4 also shows ha when he sol en olume is g ea e han o equal o 400 ml, i.e. an ash/sol en a io ≤1/8, he
a e o inc ease in po ash elease is 0.6%. This dec ease in he po ash dissolu ion a e wi h an inc ease in he quan i y
o sol en is explained by he low p opo ion o po ash s ill p esen in he ash suspended in he mix u e. This dissolu ion
eac ion can be w i en:
3.2. In luence o he du a ion o sol en -ash con ac on ash dissolu ion
Figu e 5 E olu ion o he mass o po ash ex ac ed as a unc ion o he ime o wa e -ash con ac
(A e il a ion and he
hea ing)
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(01), 3628-3633
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Figu e 5desc ibes he a ia ion o he masses o aw po ash collec ed o a a io o mass o ash o mass o sol en equal
o ¼ as a unc ion o ime. This igu e shows ha he masses o aw po ash a y wi h he du a ion o he wa e -ash
con ac . F om 0 o 21600 s o 6 hou s he mass o po ash collec ed is p ac ically cons an , app oxima ely 12.8 g. F om
21600 s o 36000 s o 10 hou s, he mass o po ash eco e ed inc eases om 12.8 g o 20.6 g, hen beyond 6 hou s i
becomes cons an again and s abilizes a ound 20.6 g.
4. Discussion
The ex ac ion o po ash om cocoa pod ash is in luenced by he amoun o sol en (wa e ) used. I inc eases wi h he
amoun o sol en o each an equilib ium when he mass a io o ash o mass o sol en is less han 1/8. Simila esul s
ha e been ob ained by some au ho s who ha e wo ked on he dissolu ion o ex ac ion o mine als om ash. Acco ding
o S umm and Mo gan, (1996) adding a la ge olume o wa e educes he concen a ion o dissol ed ions in he
solu ion, hus p omo ing he dissolu ion o new cons i uen s o he ash acco ding o Le Cha elie 's law (Le Cha elie ,
1884;). Indeed, an unsa u a ed solu ion will allow mo e mine als o pass in o solu ion un il a new equilib ium is eached
Baes and Mesme (1976). Simila ly, in hei wo k, E angelou, (1998) and Spa ks, (2003) showed ha inc easing he
olume o wa e slows down he eaching o sa u a ion, hus p olonging he dissolu ion p ocess o he mine als p esen
in he ash. This is pa icula ly impo an o soluble elemen s such as po assium, sodium, ca bona es and sul a es, which
a e o en p esen in signi ican quan i ies in plan ash. (Rodie e al., 2009).
The a ia ion in mass as a unc ion o con ac ime could be explained by se e al physicochemical mechanisms in ol ed
in he dynamics o dissolu ion and di usion o mine als con ained in he ash. In he i s ew seconds, soluble mine als
easily accessible on he su ace o he ash pa icles dissol e apidly. Howe e , he p ocess quickly eaches a empo a y
equilib ium, because he in e nal pa icles a e no ye eached by wa e : his is he ini ial dissolu ion (S umm and
Mo gan 1996). Then he inc ease in he mass o c ude po ash could be due o he slowe and longe dissolu ion o
mine als s ongly bound o he ash pa icles, whose dissolu ion equi es pa icula chemical condi ions. The las pla eau
co esponds o he es ablishmen o a new equilib ium o he una ailabili y o mine als, because beyond a ce ain
du a ion o ash-wa e con ac , he quan i y o mine als ex ac ed wi h he a ia ion o ime becomes ze o, his would
indica e ha all soluble mine als ha e been dissol ed and ha a new equilib ium would be eached. This le el can also
be explained by he mo e o less o al dissolu ion o he po ash con ained in he ash.
Fo e icien wa e ex ac ion o po ash om cocoa pod ash, he ash mus be le in con ac wi h wa e o a leas 10
hou s. Du ing his ex ac ion, he aw pelle s ob ained a e a mix u e o po ash and o he mine als con ained in he ash.
I is he e o e impo an o de e mine he pu i y le el o his aw po ash.
5. Conclusion
This s udy p o ided a demons a ion o a ia ion o aw po ash pelle s mass ex ac ed om cocoa ashes wi h hese wo
me hods. The inc ease in wa e in he ash g adually inc eases he quan i y o aw po ash, as does he inc ease in he
con ac ime o he mix u e be ween wa e and ash. Cocoa pod ash is an excellen sou ce o po ash.
Compliance wi h e hical s anda ds
Disclosu e o con lic o in e es
Nocon lic -o -in e es o be disclosed.
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