Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Livestock Nutrient Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #425337
Research Project: Strategies to Manage Feed Nutrients, Reduce Gas Emissions, and Promote Soil Health for Beef and Dairy Cattle Production Systems of the Southern Great Plains

Location: Livestock Nutrient Management Research

Title: Cotton gin waste biochar: Scaling to continuous production and evaluating agronomic values

Author
item TAKAL, DAVID - West Texas A & M University
item HOWELL, NATHAN - West Texas A & M University
item BREWER, CATHERINE - New Mexico State University
item Koziel, Jacek
item PARTHEEPAN, JOSHUA - West Texas A & M University
item BHATTACHARIA, SANJOY - West Texas A & M University
item BEDNARZ, CRAIG - West Texas A & M University
item GUERRERO, BRIDGET - West Texas A & M University

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/17/2025
Publication Date: 9/17/2025
Citation: Takal, D., Howell, N., Brewer, C., Koziel, J.A., Partheepan, J., Bhattacharia, S., Bednarz, C., Guerrero, B. 2025. Cotton gin waste biochar: Scaling to continuous production and evaluating agronomic values [abstract]. 1730.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: As much as 2.3 x 106 metric tons of cotton gin waste are generated in the U.S. annually. Technologies for utilization of CGW, including conversion to biochar, are of high interest to the industry. We examined the use of scales of reactors, lab and pilot, for CGW biochar production at 350-600°C. Specifically, we constructed two pilot reactors, a continuous rotary kiln and a batch reactor, and compared CGQ production to a lab muffle furnace. The continuous reactor biochar exhibited higher water-extractable nutrient content than the batch reactor biochar, attributed to enhanced heat distribution and operational consistency. The stability of the biochars was generally high (O/C < 0.2) except for some biochar made in the pilot batch reactor due to insufficient heat transfer. Technical scalability analysis indicates that CGW biochar production could meet the needs of farmers and cotton ginning companies in the Texas High Plains, a primary U.S. cotton growing region. The calculated production cost for CGW biochar in the continuous pilot reactor was $2,930/ton. Feasibility of biochar production and application will depend on identification of the appropriate economies of scale and the value-add from CGW utilization for biochar vs. disposal, biochar carbon additions to the soil, and the anticipated soil impacts of water-extractable nutrients and minerals.