Biochar and other properties resulting from the gasification and combustion of biomass with different components

Abstract

Gasification is a process that converts organic carbonaceous materials at high temperatures into a fuel gas primarily containing carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4), and carbon dioxide (CO2). Gasification has three main byproducts: syngas, heat, and char. This thesis explores the characteristics of biochar created from the downdraft gasification of corn, soybeans, wood pellets, and refuse derived fuel (RDF). The goal of this thesis is to better understand how gasification influences the biochar and syngas byproducts so as to help model simulations and to understand how better-quality syngas and biochar can be produced through this process. Ultimate and proximate analysis, BET surface area analyses, and SEM X-ray analysis were obtained on the biochar. It was found that wood biochar was the most porous char with a high carbon content, while RDF char had the lowest porosity with the lowest carbon content. Three of the four biochars, excluding RDF, had a significant phosphorus content, while the RDF biochar had a high concentration of aluminum. X-ray analysis of the biochar shows mineral localization on the char surface and how that relates to local porosity. The syngas content from different biomasses was also tested. It was found that, in agreement with previous studies, biomass with high amounts of cellulose led to high amounts of CO, while fuel with high lignin content led to high amounts of hydrogen. To better understand equilibrium chemistry gasification, examination of syngas, char, and tar content from the gasification of miscanthus briquettes in a double stage downdraft gasifier was carried out. The results show that the optimum equivalence ratio at which miscanthus briquettes can be gasified is 0.35, with peak CO and H2 content at 20.29% CO and 18.68% H2, respectively; with a resulting syngas heating value of 5.5 MJ/Nm 3. The process yields significantly higher energy content syngas and higher porosity biochar, indicating that the more uniform process created in the equilibrium environment yields significant product improvements.

Recent advancements in the use of biochar for cementitious applications: A review

“…It re quires a medium for the re ac tion to take place such as steam, air, oxy gen, and/ or a mix ture of these me dia [ 78 ]. The three by -products of gasi fi ca tion are char, syn gas and heat [ 79 ]. The two main types of gasi fi ca tion are the steam and hy drother mal gasi fi cation.…”

“…The two main types of gasi fi ca tion are the steam and hy drother mal gasi fi cation. The re ac tion of steam with car bona ceous bio mass or car bon -rich sub stances to pro duce syn gas is known as steam gasi fi ca tion [ 80 ]. Dry ing, py rol y sis, re duc tion and com bus tion re ac tions are the four main processes that take place dur ing steam -gasification.…”

Black Carbon Impacts on Paraburkholderia xenovorans Strain LB400 Cell Enrichment and Activity: Implications toward Lower-Chlorinated Polychlorinated Biphenyls Biodegradation Potential

“…All BCs tested have porous structure and potential for bacterial colonization but have different surface areas, sorption capacities, and surface structures (Table ). Corn kernel biochar was obtained from Dr. Albert Ratner’s research group, including two granule sizes (Table ): small size corn kernel biochar (SB) and large size corn kernel biochar (LB) . Bamboo biochar (BB) was from Lewis Bamboo (Oakman, AL), wood biochar (WB) from Plantonix (Ashland, OR), and granular activated carbon (GAC, Filtrasorb 200) from Calgon Carbon (Pittsburgh, PA).…”

“…Corn kernel biochar was obtained from Dr. Albert Ratner’s research group, including two granule sizes ( Table 1 ): small size corn kernel biochar (SB) and large size corn kernel biochar (LB). 66 Bamboo biochar (BB) was from Lewis Bamboo (Oakman, AL), wood biochar (WB) from Plantonix (Ashland, OR), and granular activated carbon (GAC, Filtrasorb 200) from Calgon Carbon (Pittsburgh, PA). SB, WB, and BB were ground by mortar and pestle and sieved (sieve #20 to #40; 0.4–0.841 mm).…”