According to an article by Cosmetics Business, international scientists have recently discovered there is an environmentally friendly way to produce sunscreen from cashew shells.
Using the shells, green chemists from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa have “produced aromatic compounds” that show positive UVB and UVA absorbance. Scientists believe this could be the perfect way to protect both humans and livestock against the harmful effects of the sun.
The environmentally-friendly cashew shells have a distinct advantage over against some current UV protection agents, which are well-known for their negative effects on the environment – particularly on aquatic ecosystems.
“With the current concerns over the use of fossil resources for chemical synthesis of functional molecules and the effect of current UV absorbers in sunscreens on the ecosystem, we aimed to find a way to produce new UV absorbers from cashew nut shell liquid as a non-edible bio renewable carbon source,” Wits School of Chemistry, Professor Charles de Koning, said.
“Cashew nuts are a waste product in the cashew farming community, especially in Tanzania, so finding a useful, sustainable way to use these waste products can lead to completely new, environmentally friendly ways of doing things.”
A patent application to commercialise the process in South Africa has been filed.
