Cashew Leather Innovation
Project Overview
About
This project transforms cashew nut husks, an underused agricultural waste, into a natural alternative to toxic chemicals used in traditional leather tanning. By extracting tannins from the husks, it offers a safer, eco-friendly process that reduces water pollution and health risks for tannery workers. Designed for affordability and scalability, especially in low-resource settings, the system promotes circular economy principles while creating green jobs. It offers a practical path to more sustainable, inclusive leather production
Team
Arvind Sivdas
Mushiba Katoyo
Frank Baguma
Thomas Kivevele
Professor Askwar Hilonga
Supervising Professor
Cecilia China
Dr. Cecilia Rolence China is a Lecturer at NM-AIST specializing in Materials Science and industrial cleaner production technologies. With 10 years of R&D experience, she pioneers eco-friendly tanning chemicals from agricultural wastes. She developed and transferred an organic tanning technology to 15 SMEs in Kilimanjaro and invented an improved tannin extraction apparatus, winning the 2020 Best Innovation Award. As a 2024 OWSD Early Career Fellow, she leads projects on cashewnut husk tannins. She is a founder of AfriTech Organic Leather Co. Ltd, driving sustainable leather innovation and has published 16 articles internationally.
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