Mohammad Wijaya, Muhammad Wiharto, Muhammad Anwar, Vika Puji Cahyani
This study aims to analyze the utilization of cocoa husk through fermentation and pyrolysis processes into three main derivative products, namely liquid smoke, charcoal (biochar), and bio-oil. Cocoa husk was collected from cocoa fruit in Central Mamuju Regency, West Sulawesi Province. Before the pyrolysis process, the cocoa husk was fermented to reduce water content, increase homogeneity, and reduce interfering compounds such as complex lignin. Fermentation also increases pyrolysis efficiency by opening the cellulose and hemicellulose structures. After fermentation, the cocoa husk was dried and fed into a pyrolysis reactor with combustion temperatures of 112, 212, 312, 412, and 512°C for 5 hours. During the pyrolysis process, the cocoa husk decomposed into three main phases: the solid phase produced biochar, the liquid phase produced bio-oil, and the gas formed during pyrolysis was condensed into liquid smoke. The experimental results showed that temperature plays an important role in determining the amount of liquid smoke product produced. A temperature of 212°C is considered the optimum temperature to obtain the highest liquid smoke yield. This process not only increases the efficiency of cocoa shell waste utilization, but also produces products that can be applied in various industries, such as filtration, air treatment, alternative energy, and preservation. SEM and FTIR analysis show the potential and value of the resulting products in accordance with the principles of sustainable agro-industrial development and circular bioeconomy. © 2026 Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya. All rights reserved.
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia; Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia
