Digital Commons Network^™

Production Of Bio-Coal And Activated Carbon From Biomass, Diana C. Cruz

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The slow pyrolysis of different biomasses (maple wood, birch bark, switch grass, coffee pulp and corn stalk) was studied with the aim to produce a solid pyrolysis product (bio-coal) with promising properties and potential for use in traditional fossil-coal applications. Batch pyrolysis experiments were conducted in a Mechanically Fluidized Reactor (MFR) at temperatures ranging from 143 to 665 ^oC, which includes the torrefaction temperature range (200-300 ^oC). The effects of temperature and holding time on bio-coal mass yields were determined. The bio-coals were characterized in detail and a highly-controlled study on bio-coal hygroscopicity is presented. Optimal conditions for …

The Effects Of Biochar Amendment To Soil On Bioenergy Crop Yield And Biomass Composition, Charles Warren Edmunds

Masters Theses

This thesis research aims to improve the understanding of how pyrolysis of native feedstocks and biochar application to soil can be utilized to improve soil fertility, crop yield, and sequester carbon in the Southeastern U.S. An emphasis was placed on understanding how the pyrolysis conditions and feedstock material influence biochar characteristics and what effects biochar amendment has on soil and plant growth and composition.

Biochars were produced from switchgrass and pine wood feedstocks via fast pyrolysis at 450, 600, and 800 ˚C with a continuous auger pyrolysis system. Switchgrass-derived biochars had higher ash content, and as observed by elemental analysis, …