Cashew Shell BioRefinery CSBR BV

Cashew Shell BioRefinery (CSBR) BV, based at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in the Netherlands, is a biorefinery company that produces sustainable bio-meta-aromatic chemical intermediates and surfactants derived from cashew nut shell liquid. By utilizing cashew nut shells—an abundant agricultural waste product—the company has developed a technology to transform this renewable feedstock into high-performance chemicals that serve as one-to-one replacements for traditional, petroleum-derived aromatics. This process aims to overcome historical performance and processability limitations associated with raw cashew nut shell oil, providing manufacturers in sectors such as detergents, paints, coatings, adhesives, and agrochemicals with safer, biodegradable, and carbon-neutral alternatives.

The company's solutions help industrial partners navigate increasingly stringent environmental regulations and sustainability mandates. By replacing estrogenic, petroleum-based substances with bio-based alternatives, CSBR enables the adoption of circular economy principles without sacrificing product effectiveness. The company is currently scaling its operations, with support from initiatives like the Just Transition Fund, to advance from pilot-scale production to industrial-scale manufacturing. Through its specialized product lines, such as 3AP surfactants, CSBR provides high-value formulations that support improved wetting, emulsification, and dispersion in diverse industrial applications.