Produc on and U liza on of Biochar:

Chapter 1
1.1- INTRODUCTION
Environmental waste is materials or substances that are disposed of due to their inability
to be naturally reused or retained without causing environmental pollu on. These wastes
encompass a wide range of materials, including solid, liquid, and hazardous waste.
Environmental waste is generally classi ed into three main types:
I. Solid Waste: This category includes general waste generated from our homes,
workplaces, and schools. It includes items such as spoiled food, old furniture, paper,
cardboard, plas c, and metals.
II. Hazardous Waste: This category includes materials that contain harmful substances and
pose a threat to the environment and public health if not properly managed. Examples
of hazardous waste include hazardous chemicals, old ba eries, and expired medica ons.
III. Liquid Waste: This category includes liquids that contain harmful substances, such as
wastewater from factories and sewage treatment plants[1].
The exponen al popula on growth, high density of urban areas, diverse culture,
anging food habits, and life yles have seen an unresolved problem in terms of Municipal
Solid Wa e (MSW). Every minute, 3,825 tons of municipal wa e are produced and colle ed
world wide. The large share of this huge volume ends up in land lls or on open dump sites,
pu ng enormous pressure on the environment and wildlife habitats. Annually, our planet
becomes home to about 2.01 billion tons of municipal solid wa e (MSW), and that gure is
an cipated to rea 3.40 billion in about 30 years (a 70% increase)[2].

And gure 1 shows the amount of wa e in various regions su as Europ & Central Asia,
Ea Asia & the Paci c, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle Ea & North Africa, La n
America & Caribbean and North America in 2016 and predic on for 2030 and 2050.
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 800

600
Waste (Tons)

400

200

0
.
2016 2030 2050

Europ & Central East Asia & Sub-Saharan Middle East & Latin America
Asia the Pacific South Asia Africa North Africa & Caribbean

North
America

Figure 1: The varia on in waste quan es across di erent areas over speci c me intervals.

According to the data from the Ministry of Local Government for the year 2022, the
quan ty of municipal solid waste generated in Pales ne is es mated at approximately 1.7
million tons per year, with 1.1 million tons per year in the West Bank and 0.6 million tons per
year in the Gaza Strip, About 65 percent of municipal waste (MW) is disposed in sanitary
land lls, while the remaining is disposed in predominantly random/ illegal dumping sites that
are a constant source of pollu on to the Pales nian environment[3].

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) consists of everyday items we use and then throw away,
such as product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bo les, food scraps, newspapers,
appliances, paint, and ba eries. This comes from our homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses.
Disposal of solid wastes is a s nging and widespread problem in both urban and rural areas in
many developed and developing countries. Municipal solid waste (MSW) collec on and disposal
is one of the major problems of urban environment in most countries worldwide today. MSW
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 management solu ons must be nancially sustainable, technically feasible, socially, legally
acceptable and environmentally friendly. And gure 2 shows the main contents in MSW and the
percentage of each.

Figure 2: The main contents in municipal solid waste with percentage.

The conven onal land ll, incinera on, compos ng and ways of handling solid wastes are
common as mature technologies for waste disposal[4].
One of the promising technologies that can be used in waste treatment is pyrolysis,
which is a process that involves hea ng the waste in the absence of oxygen un l it reaches high
temperatures of 500 °C. This process produces three main products: biochar, bio-oil, and syngas.
▪ Bio-Oil: is the liquid product obtained when biomass is heated up to extremely high
temperatures without oxygen in a process known as pyrolysis. This carbon-rich liquid can
then either be permanently stored away underground or be upgraded and used as a
green energy source.
▪ Syngas: a mix of molecules containing hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, carbon
dioxide, water vapors, as well as other hydrocarbons and condensable compounds. It is a
main product of gasi ca on and majority product of high temperature pyrolysis carried
on any biomass, residues and waste. When produced in pyrolysis, it is created by the
vaporiza on of vola le compounds from the raw material thanks to the heat, which
induces a set of complex reac ons.
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▪ Biochar: Biochar is produced by hea ng biomass in the total or par al absence of
oxygen. Pyrolysis is the most common technology employed to produce biochar, and
also occurs in the early stages of the combus on and gasi ca on processes.
1. Based on the provided informa on, bio-oil and syngas are used as fuels during
pyrolysis. As for biochar, it has numerous applica ons in improving agriculture, water
treatment, and as a fuel. The objec ve of the gradua on project is to produce biochar,
study its characteris cs, and explore its applica ons.
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 1.2- The Problem statement
The management of solid waste has been a major concern in recent years in Pales ne
and represents a great challenge, as it causes environmental and health problems. The waste
resul ng from various sources gradually accumulates alongside the popula on and the demand
for basic goods. One of the possible solu ons to address the problem of municipal solid waste is
to convert it into biochar, a carbon-rich material that is produced by hea ng organic waste in an
oxygen-limited environment (pyrolysis). Biochar has many poten al bene ts for the
environment and agriculture, such as improving soil quality, enhancing crop produc vity,
sequestering carbon dioxide, mi ga ng greenhouse gas emissions, trea ng leachate and
wastewater, reducing odors and pathogens, and genera ng energy.
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 1.3- Objec ves
✓ Research methods for biochar produc on.

✓ Explore techniques for characterizing biochar proper es.

✓ Inves gate poten al modi ca ons and adapta ons of biochar for di erent applica ons.

✓ Study the various applica ons of biochar following its produc on.
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 Chapter 2
2.1-Pyrolysis
Pyrolysis is one of the technologies available to convert biomass to an intermediate
liquid product that can be re ned to drop-in hydrocarbon biofuels, oxygenated fuel
addi ves and petrochemical replacements. Pyrolysis is the hea ng of an organic material,
such as biomass, in the absence of oxygen. Biomass pyrolysis is usually conducted at or
above 500 °C, providing enough heat to deconstruct the strong bio-polymers men oned
above. Because no oxygen is present combus on does not occur, rather the biomass
thermally decomposes into combus ble gases and bio-char. Most of these combus ble
gases can be condensed into a combus ble liquid, called pyrolysis oil (bio-oil), though there
are some permanent gases (C 2, CO, H2, light hydrocarbons), some of which can be
combusted to provide the heat for the process.
Thus, pyrolysis of biomass produces three products: one liquid, bio-oil, one solid, bio-
char and one gaseous, syngas. The propor on of these products depends on several factors
including the composi on of the feedstock and process parameters. However, all things
being equal, the yield of bio-oil is op mized when the pyrolysis temperature is around 500
°C and the hea ng rate is high (1000 °C/s) fast pyrolysis condi ons.
Under these condi ons, bio-oil yields of 60-70 wt% of can be achieved from a typical
biomass feedstock, with 15-25 wt% yields of bio-char. The remaining 10-15 wt% is syngas.
Processes that use slower hea ng rates are called slow pyrolysis and bio-char is usually the
major product of such processes.
The pyrolysis process can be self-sustained, as combus on of the syngas and a por on of
bio-oil or bio-char can provide all the necessary energy to drive the reac on[5].
Figure 3 shows the pyrolysis process star ng with municipal waste, farm and animal
waste and crop residues, with heat. Producing Biochar and bio-gas(CH4 or CO2).
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Figure 3: Pyrolysis Process.
 2.2- Biochar Produc on
The manufacture of biochar from waste materials is a sustainable and environmentally friendly
process that can help mi gate climate change, improve soil quality, and reduce waste. Biochar is
a carbon-rich material produced through the pyrolysis of organic ma er in the absence of
oxygen. Here's a general overview of how biochar can be manufactured from waste:
➢ Feedstock Selec on: The rst step in biochar produc on is selec ng the appropriate
waste materials as feedstock. Common feedstocks include agricultural residues, wood
chips, sawdust, crop waste, and even certain types of municipal solid waste. The choice
of feedstock can impact the proper es of the resul ng biochar.
➢ Prepara on: The selected feedstock is o en dried and, if necessary, ground or chipped
into smaller pieces to ensure uniform pyrolysis. Removing any contaminants, such as
plas c or metal, is crucial to producing high-quality biochar.
➢ Pyrolysis: it’s the process of hea ng the feedstock in the absence of oxygen to
temperatures typically ranging from 300 to 800°C. This process breaks down the organic
ma er in the feedstock into biochar, bio-oil, and syngas. Biochar is the solid residue le
behind a er pyrolysis.
➢ Cooling: The biochar is then rapidly cooled to stop further chemical reac ons and to
ensure that it retains its carbon content.
➢ Storage and Tes ng: The produced biochar is usually stored and may undergo tes ng to
determine its proper es, such as pH, porosity, and nutrient content.

Figure 4: Biochar Produc on

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 2.3- Biochar Characteriza on
❖ Chemical Characteriza on
Biochar (BC) proper es, derived from di erent feedstocks, show signi cant spa al and temporal
varia ons. BC produc on is o en evaluated by changes in elemental concentra ons, such as C,
H, O, S, and N ra os. Fixed carbon represents solid residue a er pyrolysis and is used to
es mate carbonaceous substances. H/C and O/C ra os indicate aroma city and matura on.
Increasing pyrolysis temperature reduces H/C and O/C ra os.
surface area increases with higher carbon burn-o , irrespec ve of pyroly c temperature.
Surface area, pore volume, and pore size increase with residence me and pyroly c
temperature.
Feedstock type and pyrolysis temperature signi cantly a ect BC proper es, with carbon content
showing a non-direct rela onship with BC yield. These factors are essen al for understanding
BC's suitability for various applica ons.[6]
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 2.4- Biochar applica ons

Table1: Advantages and limita ons of di erent applica ons of biochar.

Applica ons Aim Bene ts Limita ons

Catalyst Act as suppor ng Low cost, more func onal E ciency may be less
materials for direct groups, large surface area
catalysis
Energy U lizing as electrode Low cost, highly porous, Performance is low
storage materials large surface area
Soil Enhancing soil fer lity Low cost, minimize Contamina on of heavy
amendment and quality and carbon emission of greenhouse metals and poly aroma c
sequestra on gases, helps to retain hydrocarbons may
nutrients and water, persist
controls nutrient loss
Adsorbents Removal of organic Low cost and more oxygen Removal e ciency of
and inorganic groups present in biochar pollutants is
pollutants in soil and enhances adsorp on of undetermined and heavy
aqueous system pollutants metals retains in soil
Compos ng Improving structure of Porous, reducing emission There may be chance of
microbial popula on of greenhouse gases, large heavy metals and other
and carbon surface area and retains contaminants invading
mineraliza on nutrients into soil
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 2.5- Biochar and environment

Biochar, a versa le substance with numerous applica ons, demands careful analysis of its
environmental impact to prevent adverse consequences. One crucial aspect for considera on
prior to its applica on is stability, which is intrinsically linked to its carbon structure. Stability is
determined by measures such as aroma city and aroma c condensa on in biochar's carbon
structures. The release of dissolved organic ma er from biochar maintains high aroma city,
resistance, and stability. However, when biochar is employed in wastewater treatment, it can
elevate the carbon content in water, poten ally causing environmental concerns. Addi onally,
biochar produced from sludge containing heavy metals may pose a risk of heavy metal
contamina on during treatment. Moreover, as biochar acts as a catalyst, its stability gradually
diminishes with repeated use, poten ally due to structural damage. Assessing the toxicity of
biochar on soil microbes is also crucial before applica on, as physicochemical proper es vary
with di erent biomass sources. Biochar's introduc on into farmland soils for climate change
mi ga on has shown promise, altered soil proper es and poten ally reduced CO2 emissions
while enhanced dry ma er produc on. However, careful monitoring and evalua on of its
e ects are essen al to ensure posi ve environmental outcomes.[7]

Figure 5: Sustainable Approach and Use of Biochar.

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 References:
[1]
[2] h ps://www.developmentaid.org/news-stream/post/158158/world-waste-sta s cs-by-
country
[3] h ps://ps.boell.org/en/2020/10/07/pales ne-solid-waste-management-under-occupa on
[4] h ps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar cle/pii/S1110062118301375
[5] h ps://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/wyndmoor-pa/eastern-regional-research-center/
docs/biomass-pyrolysis-research-1/what-is-pyrolysis/
[6] h ps://www.hindawi.com/journals/amse/2014/715398/
[7] h ps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar cle/pii/S2215017X20300023#sec0170
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