Waste Camellia oleifera shells (WCOSs) have potential to
produce sustainable, clean, green energy sources. In this paper, hydrothermal
carbonization (HTC), torrefaction, and pyrolysis were applied to investigate
the characterization of three types of biochar from WCOSs. The biochars
were analyzed with ultimate analysis, proximate analysis, hydrophobicity,
Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, X-ray diffraction
(XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared
spectroscopy (FTIR). The results showed that the biochars were able
to replace the lignite or semi-anthracite coal because of the higher
calorific value. In comparison to raw WCOSs, the BET characteristics
and hydrophobicity of the biochars were improved by thermochemical
processes. Evolutions of WCOSs under different conditions, as determined
by FTIR and XRD, showed that hemicelluloses and cellulose were decomposed
through HTC, torrefaction, and pyrolysis, while the degradation of
lignin occurred through pyrolysis. In addition, combustion behaviors
of WCOSs and their biochars were significantly different.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.