Biochar from anaerobically digested sugarcane bagasse

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 101; no. 22; pp. 8868 - 8872
• Main Authors: Inyang, Mandu, Gao, Bin, Pullammanappallil, Pratap, Ding, Wenchuan, Zimmerman, Andrew R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2010; [New York, NY]: Elsevier Ltd; Elsevier
• Subjects: agricultural wastes; Anaerobic digestion; anion exchange capacity; Bacteria, Anaerobic; Bacteria, Anaerobic - metabolism; Bagasse; Biochar; Biofuel; Biofuel production; Biological and medical sciences; Biological treatment of sewage sludges and wastes; Biotechnology; cation exchange capacity; Cellulose; Cellulose - metabolism; Charcoal; Charcoal - isolation & purification; Charcoal - metabolism; Contaminants; Economics; Energy; Environment and pollution; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hydrophobicity; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; isolation & purification; metabolism; methane; microbiology; nitrogen; Pyrolysis; Remediation; Residues; Saccharum; Saccharum - microbiology; Sugarcane bagasse; surface area; Use and upgrading of agricultural and food by-products. Biotechnology; wastewater treatment; Pyrolysis; Biofuel; Biochar; Anaerobic digestion; Sugarcane bagasse; Carbonization; Sugar cane(by product); Bagasse
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2010.06.088
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976

This study was designed to investigate the effect of anaerobic digestion on biochar produced from sugarcane bagasse. Sugarcane bagasse was anaerobically digested to produce methane. The digested residue and fresh bagasse was pyrolyzed separately into biochar at 600 °C in nitrogen environment. The digested bagasse biochar (DBC) and undigested bagasse biochar (BC) were characterized to determine their physicochemical properties. Although biochar was produced from the digested residue (18% by weight) and the raw bagasse (23%) at a similar rate, there were many physiochemical differences between them. Compared to BC, DBC had higher pH, surface area, cation exchange capacity (CEC), anion exchange capacity (AEC), hydrophobicity and more negative surface charge, all properties that are generally desirable for soil amelioration, contaminant remediation or wastewater treatment. Thus, these results suggest that the pyrolysis of anaerobic digestion residues to produce biochar may be an economically and environmentally beneficial use of agricultural wastes.