Extraction of Cashew Seed Skin Oil from the Waste of Cashew Seed Skin (Anacardium occidentale) with Ultrasonic Aid

Abstract

Cashew shell waste can be utilized as a raw material for one of the tile paint and brake oil industries. The conventional extraction process mostly provides less mass transfer, so the extraction process is slow and not maximal. Excessive amounts of solvents are often used but make the process expensive and pollute the environment. The right solution in extracting is with the help of ultrasonic. This study aims to obtain an optimization of cashew oil extraction process using ultrasonic waves with a frequency of 42 kHz. The effect studied was the ratio of cashew powder to n-hexane solvents and extraction time. The surface response method with the design of Central Composite Design was used to obtain a mathematical model that illustrates the relationship between the yield of cashew shell oil to the ratio and time of extraction. The results showed that the optimum condition of cashew nut oil extraction in the comparison composition of cashew skin powder against n-hexane solvent was 1: 3.25 (g / g) for 90 minutes with a yield of 36.15%. Cashew skin oil contains anacardic acid, cardanol, and other phenol compounds.