Search results for "biochar"
showing 10 items of 94 documents
Influenza della tecnica di estinzione pirolitica sulla capacità di campo di due biochar
2018
Il biochar è un materiale poroso ottenuto per degradazione termica di biomasse vegetali ed animali in assenza o scarsità di ossigeno (pirolisi). Attualmente in letteratura si trovano molti studi che riportano degli effetti nel miglioramento della fertilità dei suoli dopo applicazione di questo materiale. Tuttavia è anche riportato che applicazioni di biochar ai suoli possono risultare in un decremento della fertilità. Il punto cruciale nell’uso del biochar per il miglioramento della qualità dei suoli è nella sua caratterizzazione, ovvero nella valutazione delle sue caratteristiche chimiche e chimico-fisiche che possono influenzare il suo effetto nei suoli. Parametri molto importanti che def…
Changes in Physicochemical Properties of Biochar after Addition to Soil
2022
It is recognized that biochar undergoes changes when it is applied to soils. However, the mechanisms of biochar alterations are not fully understood yet. To this purpose, the present study is designed to investigate the transformations in the soil of two different biochars obtained from pyrolysis of fir-wood pellets. The production of the biochars differed for the dry and wet quenching procedures used to terminate the pyrolysis. Both biochars were applied to clay soil (26% sand, 6% silt, and 68% clay) placed into lysimeters. After water saturation and 15 days of equilibration, seeds of watercress (Lepidium sativum) were cultivated. After a further 7 weeks, the biochars were manually separat…
MIGLIORAMENTO DELLE PRESTAZIONI MECCANICHE DI BIOCOMPOSITI RINFORZATI CON FIBRE DI AGAVE MEDIANTE BASSE CONCENTRAZIONI DI BIOCHAR
2020
Biocarbon is finding increasing applications in polymer composites, thanks to its reinforcing action and increased electrical and thermal properties. In this study it was added as a filler in a biocomposite reinforced with natural fibers to investigate its effect on static resistance and fatigue lifetime. Biocomposites are increasingly used in the industry for the replacement of synthetic materials, thanks to their good mechanical properties. Unfortunately, in several potential fields of application the static strength and the fatigue life of these materials are not high enough. For this reason, several chemical treatments on the fibers have been proposed, although still without fully satis…
Sustainable Materials Containing Biochar Particles: A Review
2023
The conversion of polymer waste, food waste, and biomasses through thermochemical decomposition to fuels, syngas, and solid phase, named char/biochar particles, gives a second life to these waste materials, and this process has been widely investigated in the last two decades. The main thermochemical decomposition processes that have been explored are slow, fast, and flash pyrolysis, torrefaction, gasification, and hydrothermal liquefaction, which produce char/biochar particles that differ in their chemical and physical properties, i.e., their carbon-content, CHNOS compositions, porosity, and adsorption ability. Currently, the main proposed applications of the char/biochar particles are in …
BIOCHARS IN SOILS: TOWARDS THE REQUIRED LEVEL OF SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING
2017
The special issue on Biochar as an Option for Sustainable Resource Management Key priorities in biochar research for future guidance of sustainable policy development have been identified by expert assessment within the COST Action TD1107. The current level of scientific understanding (LOSU) regarding the consequences of biochar application to soil were explored. Five broad thematic areas of biochar research were addressed: soil biodiversity and ecotoxicology, soil organic matter and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, soil physical properties, nutrient cycles and crop production, and soil remediation. The highest future research priorities regarding biochar’s effects in soils were: functional …
Biochar and Forage Peanut improve pastures: Evidence from a field experiment in Brazil
2023
Pasturelands, often degraded, represent most of the converted lands globally. It is important to understand how different pasture management approaches can improve soil quality, increase feed production and farmer income. Here, the impact of different soil enhancers on soil quality and productivity of three cultivars of Brachiaria (Syn. Urochloa) forage grass is presented. Soil enhancers included: biochar - a carbon-rich product from biomass pyrolysis, moinha (local charcoal residue), traditional fertiliser containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, lime, and forage peanut (Arachis pintoi cv. Amarillo). Considering the total biomass produced over the experiment (sum of four harvests), t…
Biochar from byproduct to high value added material – A new adsorbent for toxic metal ions removal from aqueous solutions
2018
Abstract An activated biochar coming from pyrolysis of dead Posidonia oceanica residues has been tested as adsorbent material for Cd2+, Pb2+ and Cu2+ ions. The biomass, the activated and the non activated biochars were previously characterized by using several instrumental techniques. The pH of metal ion solution in kinetic and thermodynamic adsorption experiments was fixed at 5 whilst, the dependence on ionic medium, ionic strength and temperature have been evaluated carrying out batch experiments at different experimental conditions. Differential Pulse Anodic Stripping Voltammetry and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy have been used to measure the metal ion concentr…
CHARACTERIZATION OF CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF BIOCHAR FOR ENERGY PURPOSES AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION
2014
Biochar production processes as well as its various applications provide numerous benefits to both environment and economy (Lehmann et al., 2006; Basu, 2010). However, understanding the physicochemical structure of this valuable product has to be improved in order to be able to obtain the aforementioned benefits and to avoid environmental costs. In this study, chicken or poultry manure (PM) was chosen as feedstock for biochar preparation. This biomass is traditionally used by farmers as an effective organic fertilizer (Chan et al., 2008). Indeed, it is considered a valuable source for readily available plant nutrients, such as N, P, K and other micronutrients (Huang et al., 2011). Notwithst…
Biochar amended soils and water systems: Investigation of physical and structural properties
2021
There are significant regional differences in the perception of the problems posed by global warming, water/food availability and waste treatment recycling procedures. The study illustrates the effect of application of a biochar (BC) from forest biomass waste, at a selected application rate, on water retention, plant available water (PAW), and structural properties of differently standard textured soils, classified as loamy sand, loam and clay. The results showed that soil water retention, PAW, and aggregate stability were significantly improved by BC application in the loamy sand, confirming that application of BC to this soil was certainly beneficial and increased the amount of macropores…
Slow Pyrolysis as a Method for Biochar Production from Carob Waste: Process Investigation and Products’ Characterization
2021
The zero-waste city challenge of the modern society is inevitably addressed to the development of model’s waste-to-energy. In this work, carob waste, largely used in the agro-industrial sector for sugar extraction or locust beangum (LBG) production, is considered as feedstock for the slow pyrolysis process. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in 2012, the world production of carobs was ca. 160,000 tons, mainly concentrated in the Mediterranean area (Spain, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, and Greece). To evaluate the biomass composition, at first, the carob waste was subjected to thermo-gravimetric analysis. The high content of fixed carbon suggest…