Engineering Commons^™

Biocharfx: Production With Carbonfx Technology, Characterization And Applications In Potting Soil Related To Plant Production, Sébastien Lange, Sylvain Bertrand

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

Airex Energy started its R&D activities on torrefaction technology in 2010 and has been operating the first and only commercial-scale biocoal plant in Canada since 2015. The company has developed the patented CarbonFXTM process for biomass torrefaction. The biochar produced from this technology can be used for different applications, one of them being as a soil amendment. The biochar produced by Airex Energy is called BiocharFXTM. In Canada, the use of biochar as a soil amendment for agriculture, horticulture or mixed with other porous media, requires a certification from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

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Biochar: From Ligno-Cellulosic Materials To Engineered Products For Environmental Services, Manuel Garcia-Perez

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

Abstract is not available.

Biochar Characterization And Eu27 Law Harmonization: Refertil Results, Edward Someus, Massimo Pugliese

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

The FP7 REFERRIL biochar applied research and economical industrialization project (EU contract no 289785, 2011-2015) developed a strong policy support for the European Commission Fertilizer Regulation revision biochar case. Wide range of different biochar types characterized, including relationships among feedstock, production technology in viable industrial scale and characteristics, which results, summarized in this presentation, reflected to economical industrial scenarios under market competitive conditions, for the interests and benefits of the SME farmers. Environmental and ecological impacts and risks considered.

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Lab-Scale Pyrolysis And Hydrothermal Carbonization Of Biomass Digestate: Characterization Of Solid Products, Edoardo Miliotti, David Casini, Matteo Prussi, Giulia Lotti, Lorenzo Bettucci, Andrea Maria Rizzo, David Chiaramonti

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

The aim of the present study is to investigate the production of biochar from anaerobic digestion (AD) digestate. Re-Cord selected digestate from real and representative (regarding the scale and the process technology) anaerobic digestion plant.

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Off-Gassing Of Charred Pellets During Storage, Shahab Sokhansanj, C. J. Lim, Sudhagar Mani

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

The off-gassing tests for six types of charred pellets: canola straw, willow, bagasse, wheat straw, switchgrass and miscanthus, were conducted at room temperature 25±2 °C in sealed storage containers. Pairs of 2-litre sealable glass containers were filled with 800 g of each sample to approximately 75% of the container volume. One container contained charred pelles. The other container contained uncharred (untreated pellets). The two glass containers were sampled in alternate weeks for CO2, CO, O2, and CH4.

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Biochar And Ash Amendment Effects On Mine Reclamation In The Boreal Forest, Jillian M.H. Bieser, Sean C. Thomas

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

Natural re-vegetation of gold mine tailings, the main waste products of ore processing for gold extraction consisting of crushed rock, is difficult due to their high bioavailability of heavy metals, low nutrient status and limited organic carbon 1-3. Charcoal produced from the burning of organic matter through controlled pyrolysis, hereafter referred to as ‘biochar’, has been utilized extensively in agriculture as a climate-friendly option to remediate nutrient-poor and contaminated soils 4,5. Biochar produced from wood is highly recalcitrant, has a large surface area due to its porous structure and can bind nutrients and water, improving soil fertility 5-7. Biochar can …

Which Policy For Biochar Deployment In Southern Eu? An Integrated Approach Is Possible, David Chiaramonti

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

The scope of the present paper is to address possible policy schemes that could potentially enable widespread diffusion of biochar in the EU Mediterranean area. In fact, despite the rapid development of biochar technologies and processes, the actual exploitation is mostly dependent on the actual support scheme that is in place. However, one single support instrument will unlikely be sufficient to cover the costs connected to biochar production and use: moreover, developing totally new policy instruments is a very long and time consuming process. The approach of the present work is to investigate the possibility of combining different EU policies …

Can Biochar Link Forest Restoration With Commercial Agriculture?, David C. Smith, Kristin Trippe

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

For the potential benefits of biochar to be fully realized, it must be produced economically in high volumes and close to stable markets. The author is part of a research team conducting an examination of the economic feasibility of linking forest restoration with commercial agriculture in a specific region of Oregon, USA through large-scale production of biochar made from forest biomass at a dedicated plant site. The focus of this presentation is the biochar production economics and carbon impacts associated with two different biochar conversion technologies, four different biochar plant configuration scenarios, and 2 potential plant locations.

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Adsorption Of Ammonium (Nh4+) Ions Onto Various Vietnamese Biomass Residue-Derived Biochars (Wood, Rice Husk And Bamboo), Nguyen Van Hien, Eugenia Valsami-Jones, Nguyen Cong Vinh, Tong Thi Phu, Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam, Iseult Lynch

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

This study evaluates adsorption of ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) ions onto various biochars produced from biomass residues in Vietnam as a function of their physicochemical characteristics. Three biochars, including wood biochar (WBC), rice husk biochar (RBC), and bamboo biochar (BBC), were produced under limited oxygen conditions using Top-Lid Updraft Drum technology at temperatures of 450-550oC. Physicochemical characterization (BET surface area, Cation exchange capacity (CEC), Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) of the biochars was performed in order to link their porosity and surface functional groups with their NH4+-N capture capacities.

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Physical Properties Of Charred Pellets After Two Months Of Storage, C.J. Lim, Shahab Sokhansanj, Sudhagar Mani

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

Six types of charred pellets: canola straw, willow, bagasse, wheat straw, switchgrass and miscanthus, were stored for a period of two months at room temperature 25±2 °C in sealed containers. The tests were part of off gassing experiment on charred and uncharred pellets. The following physical properties of the pellets were measured: bulk density, individual pellet density, Individual pellet dimensions were similar between samples but the pellet mass ranged from 0.79 g for switchgrass to 1.13 g for bagasse pellet.

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Thermal Evolution Of Biochar And Its Physicochemical Properties During Hydrothermal Gasification, Sonil Nanda, Ajay K. Dalai, Franco Berruti, Janusz A. Kozinski

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

Biochar is a recalcitrant carbonaceous material obtained from pyrolysis and gasification of biomass and other biogenic wastes. Some of the promising biochar applications to be discussed in this presentation includes char gasification and combustion for energy production, soil remediation, carbon sequestration, catalysis, and development of activated carbon and specialty materials with biomedical and industrial uses. Several factors such as pyrolysis/gasification temperature, heating rates and residence time are the limiting factors that determine the biochar properties such as fixed carbon, volatile matter, mineral matter, surface area, porosity and pore size distribution, alkalinity, electrical conductivity, cation-exchange capacity, etc. This paper will comprehensively …

Woody And Agricultural Biomass Diversity In Torrefaction: A Complete Study In Solid Conversion And Volatiles Formation On Tga-Gcms, María González Martínez, Capucine Dupont, Xuan Mi Meyer, Christophe Gourdon

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

Nowadays, there is an increasing awareness on the importance of biomass waste as a renewable source of energy, materials and chemicals. In this context, the European project MOBILE FLIP aims at developing and demonstrating mobile conversion processes suitable with various underexploited agro- and forest based biomass resources in order to produce energy carriers, materials and chemicals. One of these processes is torrefaction, which consists in a mild thermal treatment, occurring typically between 200 and 300°C during a few tens of minutes in a default-oxygen atmosphere.

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Effect Of Biochar Addition On Carbon Dioxide And Nitrous Oxide Emissions From A Temperate Agricultural Soil, Maren Oelbermann

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

Amending intensively managed temperate soils with biochar is a more recent approach to agriculture, with research is still in its infancy. A knowledge gap remains on the effect of biochar on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as most studies conducted to date were short-term (<4 months) in the field or used laboratory incubations; neither of which capture temporal variations in emissions. Therefore the objective of this study was to evaluate soil CO₂ and N₂O emissions in a conventional agricultural production system amended with biochar and under a maize (Zea mays) crop in southern Ontario, Canada.

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Biochar-Ammonium Phosphate As An Uncoated-Slow Release Fertilizer In Sandy Soil, Haytham Elsharkawi

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

The invention relates to an ecofertilizer including a granular Biochar-Ammonium Phosphate (BAP) fertilizer utilizing by biochar as a renewable support grid. In this study we assessed the impact of two types of uncoated-slow release fertilizer in two types of Biochar-Ammonium Phosphate (BAP1&BAP2) on nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and N losses in leachate water compared with chemical N fertilizer (ammonium phosphate, AP). Additionally the Surface Morphology of biochar, BAP1 and BAP2 fertilizer were investigated by SEM and FT-IR. SEM and FT-IR confirm the phenomena of impregnation of ammonium phosphate inside the biochar's pores.

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Autothermal Biochar Production And Characterization At Pilot Scale, Andrea M. Rizzo, Marco Pettorali, Lorenzo Bettuci, Giulia Lotti, Renato Nistri, David Chiaramonti

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

The present work reports on the results from the validation campaign of an autothermal pilot carbonization unit (CarbON) and on the characterization of the produced biochar and pyrolysis vapors. The proposed pilot plant leverages the simplicity and effectiveness of autothermal operations together with open top, downdraft design, to bring to the small scale the performance of larger installations. In autothermal operation, heat for the process is internally provided by combusting part of the feedstock and evolved volatiles inside the reactor, the so called “oxidative pyrolysis”.

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Evaluation Of The Long-Term Effects Of Pre-Conditioned Biochar On Soil Organic Carbon In Temperate Soils Using The Century Soil Organic Matter Model, Maren Oelbermann

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

Biochar contains a limited quantity of available mineral nutrients, requiring its addition in large quantities, in temperate soils, and in association with nitrogen (N) fertilizer and/or manure. Alternatively, biochar could be pre-conditioned with urea ammonium nitrate (UAN-enriched biochar), requiring lower inputs of biochar. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term (150 years) impact of the addition of UAN-enriched biochar on soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil active, slow and passive carbon (C) fractions compared to other commonly used agroecosystem management practices in a coarse and medium textured soil using the Century Soil Organic Matter Model.

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Monolithic Biochar As Electrode In Supercapacitor, Charles Q. Jia, Johnathon N. Caguiat, Donald W. Kirk

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

Biochar produced from woody biomass can retain the characteristics of structural elements in the wood such as vessels and tracheids. In this study, we examined theses characteristics and explored the potential of hardwood-derived monolithic biochar as electrode material in supercapacitor. Also known as electrochemical double layer capacitor (EDLC), supercapacitor is a fast-charging, long-lasting electrical energy storage device that can be used to enhance the efficiency of alternative energy systems.

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Biochar Production Through Slow Pyrolysis Of Different Biomass Materials: Seeking The Best Operating Conditions, Joan J. Manyà, Manuel Azuara, José A. Manso

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

In the last years, special attention has been focused on analyzing the effect of pyrolysis conditions (mainly peak temperature) on the yield and properties of produced biochar. Given that the nature of biomass plays a key role in the pyrolysis process, it becomes really difficult to establish generic trends and correlations, which can be used for any biomass feedstock to predict the properties of derived biochar. Thus, more experimental studies focused on a given biomass source are still needed with the aim of providing reliable data for further research goals. In addition, a number of techniques have been proposed to …

The Influence Of Biochar On Soil Characteristics In A Temperate Agroecosystem, Maren Oelbermann

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

While biochar as a soil amendment is not a novel concept, the addition of biochar to temperate agricultural soils represents a relatively new territory. The objectives of this study were to evaluate soil characteristics in a conventional temperate agricultural production system amended with biochar under a maize (Zea mays) crop in southern Ontario, Canada. The treatments include: poultry manure (6 t/ha) and nitrogen fertilizer (135 kg/ha) (MN); manure (3t/ha) and biochar (3t/ha) (MB); and manure (3 t/ha), fertilizer (urea) (135 kg/ha) and biochar (3 t/ha) (MNB).

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A Novel Solution For Utilizing Liquid Fractions From Slow Pyrolysis And Hydrothermal Carbonization - Acidification Of Animal Slurry, Kimmo Rasa, Jari Hyväluoma, Hanne Wikberg, Anssi Källi, Tapio Salo, Riikka Keskinen

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

Pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) have recently gained much interest in the field of biomass processing. This is due to the process flexibility with respect to raw materials and the range of potential applications proposed for the end products. In addition to the main product, biochar, the processes yield a liquid fraction that has turned out to be challenging to productize. Considering the feasibility of the thermochemical conversion technologies, it is crucial that all the produced fractions can be utilized reasonably and no waste fractions expensive to dispose remain. In spite of active research and development work, unambiguous uses for …

Overview Of Biochar For Electrochemistry Applications, Capucine Dupont

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

Abstract is not available.

Evaluating The Potential Of Biochar For Reducing Bioavailable Heavy Metal Fractions In Polluted Soil, Rosa I. Soria, Raisa Tjarinto, Stephen A. Rolfe, Steven F. Thornton

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

Previous studies have proposed biochar as a natural adsorbent material with potential to be used in the remediation of polluted soils. Its application for adsorption of pollutants may reduce the bioavailability of harmful compounds in the soil media by limiting its chemical distribution and reducing the risk of uptake by organisms. Therefore, biochar has been suggested for the attenuation of heavy metals (HMs) in soil, minimizing the possibility of accumulation through the trophic chain (Figure ).

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The Role Of Bio-Char As An Agro-Environmental Tool: Formation Mechanism And Potential For Control Water Release, Bacterial Retention And Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Waled Suliman, Manuel Garcia-Perez

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

In our poster we will present information on the relationship between biochar physico-chemical properties and its performance as a soil amendment. Experimental results will be presented to document how feedstock source and pyrolysis conditions influence biochar bulk and surface properties and what effects these properties have on greenhouse gas emissions, soil water retention and movement of bacteria in sandy soils. Three lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks (poplar wood, pine bark and pine wood) were used to produce biochars at six different pyrolysis temperatures (from 350 to 600 oC).

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Pyrolysis Of Residues From Well-Established Biochemical Processes For The Production Of Biochar, Devon Barry, Cedric Briens, Franco Berruti

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

The main objective of this work is to use pyrolysis for the production of biochar from the residues of well-established biochemical processes. The residues that were selected come from two major conversion processes: biogas digesters, and wastewater treatment facilities. These processes produce unconverted lignin-rich residues, made of biomass components that are refractory to biochemical conversion. Pyrolysis is an aggressive thermochemical conversion process that is ideally suited to such residues. The desired biochar characteristics were determined by the specific needs of each industrial partner. The desired traits for the biochar obtained from sewage sludge were the capture, and stabilization of heavy …

Hydrothermal Carbonization Of Sewage Sludge: Char Characterization And Reference To International Legislations, Fabio Merzari, Gianni Andreottola, Maurizio Volpe, Fabio Valentinuzzi, Tanja Mimmo, Stefano Cesco, Luca Fiori

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

The aim of this work is to apply Hydrothermal Carbonisation (HTC) to different kinds of sludge such as thickened sludge, digested sludge and dewatered sludge, and compare the composition of the solid produced by the process, i.e. hydrochar, with soil and biosolid legislations: Table 1. For the purpose, experimental tests were performed at different operating conditions, namely three temperatures (190, 220 and 250 °C) and two reaction times (30 and 60 minutes).

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Evaluation Of The Environmental Benefits Of Biochar Addition Into Concrete-Based Composites, Isabella Bianco, Mauro Giorcelli, Massimo Rovere, Alberto Tagliaferro, Gian Andrea Blengini, Silvia Bobba

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

Biochar is a carbon by-product obtained from a termochemical conversion of biomass. Currently, biochar is generally treated in biomass landfill, representing an economic and environmental cost.

Recent works focus their attention to the use of biochar as an alternative filler to produce more economic and environmental friendly composites. Some studies proved that the introduction of biochar as carbon filler can also increase mechanical [1] or electrical [2] properties. As a consequence, large scale production of composites containing biochar could have important effects both on the economic and environmental point of view.

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Analysis Of Product Distribution And Characteristics Of Bio-Oil And Bio-Char From Fast Pyrolysis Of Date Palm Tree Waste, Yassir Makkawi, Paul Nancarrow, Ahmed El Sharkawy, Tony Bridgwater, Scott Banks, Stuart Jones

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

According to recent reports, there are more than 120 million date palm trees worldwide, with the estimated Middle East and North Africa combined share of more than 80%. Date palm trees produce huge amounts of waste amounting to 15-35 kg per tree per year. This represents a challenging environmental problem, since disposal is so far mainly based on landfill and uncontrolled combustion.

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Multi-Technique Characterization Of Biochar Formation, Anthony Dufour, Yann Le Brech, Luc Delmotte, Jésus Raya, Nicolas Brosse, Guillain Mauviel, Roger Gadiou

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

It is known that biomass forms an intermediate liquid before forming the solid “char” (figure 1) but the role of this intermediate liquid on the structure of char and on the mechanisms of pyrolysis is still poorly understood.

In this talk we will present how in-situ rheology and 1H NMR analysis [2] are interesting technique to understand the mechanism of biochar formation through an intermediate “visco-elastic” material. These techniques allow assessing the physical-chemistry of biomass conversion to char at real-time and high temperature conditions.

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Changes In Carbon Structure Distribution And Nanostructure Of Functionalized Biochars, Elsa Weiss-Hortala, Marion Ducousso, Maxime Hervy, Sarah Berhanu, Doan Pham Minh, Anthony Chesnaud, Alain Thorel, Ange Nzihou

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

Energetic vectors produced from the thermochemical conversion of biomass and waste is considered as environmental-friendly energy. The syngas composed of CO and H2 at convenient ratio, could be used for various subsequent uses. However the industrial development is hold back by the production of unwanted by-products: tars and biochar/ash (aromatic hydrocarbons and solid residues respectively) which decrease the global efficiency yield and require very costly treatments. Some recent studies investigated potential applications to use these biochars for catalytic or sorbent applications, such as catalytic tar cracking or pollutants removal [1]. Biochars are cheap candidates and their functionalization is an opportunity …

Developing Biosensors As Monitoring Tools To Assess The Performance Of Biochar Amended Contaminated Soil, Bastian Saputra, Stephen Rolfe, Steve Thornton

Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications

The application of biochar as a soil amendment is an emerging technique for low-cost remediation of contaminated soil. The high porosity and large surface area of biochar make it suitable for adsorption of contaminants such as heavy metals (HMs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Adsorption reduces the bio-availability of contaminants to soil microorganisms thus potentially increasing soil function and productivity. Many different biochars are available which differ in key properties such as contaminant adsorption and stability. To assess biochar performance as a soil amendment we will develop bacterial biosensors to measure contaminant bioavailability and toxicity at a cellular level. Biosensors …