The Almond Board of California is launching a research initiative to find uses for the byproducts of almond processing, which includes the hulls and shells, says the Business Journal of Fresno, Calif. The results could be biodegradable plastics and additives for pharmaceuticals or biofuels, according to Glenda Humiston of University of California’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
“We have shifted our mindset to view agriculture co-products as an opportunity, not a problem,” said Humiston at a state almond conference. In the future, almond byproducts may be re-labeled as co-products and be as profitable as the nut, she said, according to the Business Journal.
California is the largest almond grower in the world, says the Los Angeles Times. About 70 percent of the nuts are sold overseas, making almonds the state’s largest agricultural export. The Business Journal said growers produced 1.9 billion pounds of almond kernels in 2015, along with 3.8 billion pounds of hulls and 1.3 billion pounds of shells.