Singapore-based Valency International commissioned an industrial plant in Attinguié, Côte d’Ivoire, on Thursday, June 18. The facility is presented as Africa’s first large-scale commercial biochar production plant using
cashew nut shells.
Biochar is produced through pyrolysis, which involves heating material to high temperatures without oxygen. It is used to improve soil structure and its ability to retain water and nutrients. It also provides a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, such as charcoal and coal, for energy production.
The plant is designed to process 20,000 tonnes of shells and produce about 6,000 tonnes of biochar annually. Valency aims to increase production to 100,000 tonnes a year by 2029, which will require a sharp rise in the volume of shells processed.
Beyond creating a new market, the investment reflects a trend that began several years ago. Cashew shells in Côte d’Ivoire are no longer merely a byproduct. They are gradually becoming a raw material capable of supplying several industries. This development was highlighted in a market study published in 2025 by the French nongovernmental organization Nitidæ, which identified the main drivers of the emerging value chain. Three key findings emerged.
A Growing Supply of Cashew Shells
Côte d’Ivoire’s cashew industry generated an estimated 245,000 tonnes of shells in 2024, according to Nitidæ. The estimate is based on the general assumption that shells account for 70% of the total volume of cashew nuts processed. That year, processors handled only 350,000 tonnes of nuts.
The supply of cashew shells is therefore expected to continue growing as processing capacity expands and the country pursues its strategy of developing the cashew industry. The latest available data already show an increase in processing levels since 2024.
According to the Cotton, Cashew and Shea Council, or CCAK, 660,000 tonnes of cashew nuts were processed in 2025, representing 43% of national production. The increase was driven by the opening of new plants. As the government aims to raise the processing rate to 50% by 2030, the volume of available shells is also expected to increase mechanically in the coming years.
A Biomass Already in Demand for Energy Production
Cashew shells are no longer treated solely as industrial waste. Some are already used as fuel by processing plants to meet their heating needs.
“It is generally accepted that plants consume up to 15% of their shells to meet their own heating needs. In addition, a shell market is also beginning to develop, with sales to other industries for their thermal needs, or even for export,” the report said.
According to Nitidæ, biomass power plant projects currently under study in Côte d’Ivoire could further increase demand in the coming years, reinforcing the status of cashew shells as an alternative fuel.
A Raw Material for the Chemical Industry
Long before the emergence of biochar, the extraction of cashew nut shell liquid, or CNSL, also known as cashew balm, was already one of the main industrial uses for cashew shells. The liquid is used by the chemical industry to manufacture resins, coatings, anticorrosion paints and friction materials, and it can also be used as a biofuel. Some processing plants were already extracting CNSL, while several others planned to begin doing so.
“Of the roughly 30 operational plants in Côte d’Ivoire, eight extract CNSL and five others plan to do so. CNSL extraction could absorb around 84,000 tonnes of shells,” Nitidæ said in its 2024 sector overview.
The development of biochar adds to an already-expanding range of uses for cashew shells. As Côte d’Ivoire increases local cashew processing, these residues could become a growing source of added value, illustrating the cashew industry’s ability to generate new industrial activities beyond kernel production.
