Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Commodity Utilization Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #342860
Research Project: Developing Technologies that Enable Growth and Profitability in the Commercial Conversion of Sugarcane, Sweet Sorghum, and Energy Beets into Sugar, Advanced Biofuels, and Bioproducts

Location: Commodity Utilization Research

Title: Effect of feed source and pyrolysis conditions on sugarcane bagasse biochar

Author
item HASS, AMIR - West Virginia State University
item Lima, Isabel

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/14/2017
Publication Date: 6/14/2017
Citation: Hass, A, Lima, I. 2017. Effect of feed source and pyrolysis conditions on sugarcane bagasse biochar (abstract). Sugar Journal. 80(1):31.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Processing of sugarcane in sugar mills yield ca. 30% bagasse, a fibrous waste material composed mostly of crushed cane stalks. While 80-90% of the bagasse used on site as fuel, the remaining portion can be converted into a value-added product. One such option is thermal conversion of bagasse into biochar, a solid, stable, carbon-rich product. Fresh and field-aged sugarcane bagasse and detrasher output material were use in a slow-pyrolysis system to produce biochar. The effect of feed source material and pyrolysis conditions (peak-temperature [350 – 800 °C], steam activation [at 800 °C]) on biochar properties and efficiency as sorbent for heavy metals were determined. Biochar properties were feedstock and pyrolysis conditions dependent. Biochar of fresh bagasse had the highest fixed carbon and surface area, while detrasher and field-aged bagasse biochars had the highest ash content. While the field aged biochars showed the highest affinity and capacity for metal sorption, the biochars showed limited ability to remove Cu, Cd, and Pb from water. Detrasher output material and resulting biochars had the highest nitrogen content compare to the other feed sources and biochars.