Characterization of biocarbon generated by high- and low-temperature pyrolysis of soy hulls and coffee chaff: for polymer composite applications

Abstract

The physical properties of biocarbon vary widely with the biomass used, and the temperature and duration of pyrolysis. This study identifies the effects of feedstock characteristics and pyrolysis conditions on the production of biocarbon and the corresponding properties for industrial applications. For coffee chaff and soy hulls, ash content and carbon content increased with pyrolysis temperature and duration. Ash content increased thermal conductivity and specific heat, and decreased electrical conductivity. Change in surface area with pyrolysis conditions was dependent on type of feedstock. Increased surface area corresponded with increased thermal and electrical conductivity. Increased carbon content corresponded with increased graphitization and thermal stability and decreased surface functionality. Properties of soy hull biocarbons were found to be similar to the properties of other biocarbons with industrial applications such as incorporation into polymer composites.

Underutilized Agricultural Co-Product as a Sustainable Biofiller for Polyamide 6,6: Effect of Carbonization Temperature

“…Soy hulls were pyrolyzed at 500 °C and 900 °C with a dwell time of one hour, under a nitrogen purge rate of 100 LN/h. The carbonized soy hull yield was approximately 29% from the 500 °C pyrolysis and 25% from the 900 °C pyrolysis which is close to the reported values found by Quosai et al [16]. In order to reduce the size and ensure the consistency, the pyrolyzed soy hulls were then ball milled in a Fritsch Pulverisette 5 with 100…”

“…Soy hulls were provided by Nieuwland Feed & Supply Ltd from Elora, Ontario, Canada, they are in the form of flakes, approximately 3 mm in diameter. The soy hull biomass contains approximately 42% cellulose, 18% hemicellulose and 2% lignin and the complete characterization procedure of this biomass can be found in our previous paper [16].…”

Development of Coffee Biochar Filler for the Production of Electrical Conductive Reinforced Plastic

“…Traditionally, in the realm of carbon fillers in polymer composites, carbon black (CB) plays the main role especially in the automotive field with an estimated consumption of 8.1 MTon/year according to data released by the International CB association [20]. CB has been used for producing conductive composites [21] but, as recently reported by Quosai et al [22], coffee-based biochar also shows remarkably conductive properties. Furthermore, coffee biochar production has an indisputable advantage if compared with CB.…”

Development of Coffee Biochar Filler for the Production of Electrical Conductive Reinforced Plastic

“…In the realm of polymer composites, carbon black (CB) plays the main role especially in the automotive field with an estimated consumption of 8.1 Mton/year according with data released by International carbon black association [17]. CB has been used for producing conductive composites [18] but, as recently reported by Quosai et al [19], coffee based biochar also showed remarkably conductive properties. Furthermore, coffee biochar production is based on using a food waste stream while oil based feedstock is required for CB production decreasing the environmentally impact of the production process [20][21][22].…”