Kırşehir Ahi Evran University, which prioritizes regional development and specialization, continues to shape science and technology. Asst. Prof. Dr. Mevlüde Alev Ateş, a faculty member at the KAEU Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, started to produce disinfectants from waste shells of green walnuts in order to support the producers in the region within the scope of pilot applications.

Agricultural Faculty Member Dr. Mevlüde Alev Ateş and her students started working in the laboratory to produce disinfectants from green walnut shell wastes about a year ago. Providing information about the project, Ateş said that they aim to use the green shells, which are 50 percent of the walnuts that go to waste, and bring them into production. Dr. Mevlide Alev Ateş, who explained the stages of making the disinfectant made from green walnut shells one by one, continued her speech as follows: "In the production carried out in the laboratory environment, the green shells of the walnuts are peeled and then put in the oven to dry. Green walnut shells which are pounded in a special container are mixed with chemicals in certain proportions. We aimed to reveal its organic compounds with the help of different solvents and use its antimicrobial properties. In our trials, we produced an organic disinfectant containing fewer chemicals as an alternative to the alcoholic disinfectants that entered our lives, especially during the pandemic period."

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kazankaya, Dean of the KAEU Faculty of Agriculture, stated that approximately five thousand tons of walnut shells are thrown away in Kırşehir and 325 thousand tons of walnut shells throughout Turkey are thrown away. He emphasized that the Walnut Focused Development Project, which is one of the pilot projects of KAEU in the field of "geothermal and agriculture", will add added value to the producers not only with the nutmeat but also with its green shell.

Within the scope of the project, it is aimed to create added value by producing disinfectant and sterilization materials from tons of shells that will go to waste, via the investments to be made in cooperation with the university-private sector.