Design and construction of mobile Biochar Kiln for small farmers

Abstract

Biomass is a renewable energy that attracted the global attention. Biochar is a product of pyrolysis of agricultural biomass under limited oxygen condition and the fire is lit at the top of the biomass. There was a variety of method or technique to produce biochar. A simple, practical and affordable unit of pyrolysis kiln was designed and fabricated to ease the small farmer to produce the biochar efficiently at low cost. Biochar samples were prepared from the pyrolysis process by using waste wood from the harvest site. Furthermore, pH level, surface area and other biochar characterization had been studies through laboratory test. Surface area of biochar observed through Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Gas emission was observed during the trial run of the pyrolysis kiln. The portable biochar kiln can be constructed easily by the small farmer by using available metal. This is one of the methods which utilises the biomass efficiently and use it as soil nutrient supplement. This approach is more environmental friendly compare to open burning of waste wood at the harvest site. The general performance of the portable biochar kiln is satisfactory and is suitable for burning the waste biomass to produce biochar.

Investigating the dynamics of upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) in rainfed agroecosystems: an in-depth analysis of yield gap and strategic exploration for enhanced production

“…On the other hand, organic fertilizer derived from milk sewage provides essential nutrients to the soil, improves soil organic matter content, and enhances soil microbial diversity, all of which contribute to improved soil fertility and crop yield. The RHB was produced through the kiln method (Kong and Sii, 2020), employing modified iron plates equipped with chimneys and shutters. Laboratory analysis revealed the chemical composition of the rice husk biochar, indicating a pH (H₂O) of 8.02, carbon (C) content of 34.60%, hydrogen (H) content of 4.23%, nitrogen (N) content of 0.47%, and oxygen (O) content of 31.70% (Kastono et al, 2022).…”