Synthesis and characterization of rice husk biochar via hydrothermal carbonization for wastewater treatment and biofuel production

Abstract

The recent implication of circular economy in Australia spurred the demand for waste material utilization for value-added product generations on a commercial scale. Therefore, this experimental study emphasized on agricultural waste biomass, rice husk (RH) as potential feedstock to produce valuable products. Rice husk biochar (RB) was obtained at temperature: 180 °C, pressure: 70 bar, reaction time: 20 min with water via hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), and the obtained biochar yield was 57.9%. Enhancement of zeta potential value from − 30.1 to − 10.6 mV in RB presented the higher suspension stability, and improvement of surface area and porosity in RB demonstrated the wastewater adsorption capacity. Along with that, an increase of crystallinity in RB, 60.5%, also indicates the enhancement of the catalytic performance of the material significantly more favorable to improve the adsorption efficiency of transitional compounds. In contrast, an increase of the atomic O/C ratio in RB, 0.51 delineated high breakdown of the cellulosic component, which is favorable for biofuel purpose. 13.98% SiO2 reduction in RB confirmed ash content minimization and better quality of fuel properties. Therefore, the rice husk biochar through HTC can be considered a suitable material for further application to treat wastewater and generate bioenergy.

Preparation and Characterization of Instant Casein Phosphopeptide by Supercritical Fluid Assisted Atomization

“…Thus, we further compared the bulk density, angle repose, and moisture content of the four CPP powders. Bulk density estimates the biomass per unit area and projects transportation and logistics, as well as cost reduction [29]. Figure 8a shows that the bulk density of the untreated CPP powders was 0.72 g/mL.…”

“…Most of them ranged from 1 µm to 20 µm, which is in agreement with the SEM observation (see Figure 5) and can explain the improvement of their solubility performance. Many microparticles with a narrow particle size distribution, such as bovine serum albumin [28] and lysozyme [29], have been prepared by SAA technology. Therefore, the SAA has been considered as an efficient tool for controlling microparticle size.…”

Metal-Supported Biochar Catalysts for Sustainable Biorefinery, Electrocatalysis, and Energy Storage Applications: A Review

“…2 h, and cellulose begins decomposing at about 270-300 • C [26]. HTC biochar typically possesses a higher number of surface functional groups (mainly hydroxyl and carbonyl moieties) and a higher degree of microporosity (pore size < 2 nm) [27]. Lastly, HTC is a convenient technology for processing feedstock with high moisture contents (e.g., aquatic plants and algae) and for coating pre-formed nanostructures with carbonaceous shells [28].…”

Sustainable Hydrothermal and Solvothermal Synthesis of Advanced Carbon Materials in Multidimensional Applications: A Review

“…The research on the preparation of hydrochars and biochars has resulted in significant interest within the research fraternity of water treatment and membrane nanotechnology. One such study was recently carried out by Hossain et al (2020) [65]. In this work, rice husk, one of the waste bio-mass materials that continue to generate increasing research interest, was used to prepare a biochar as a sustainable adsorbent which can be included in the fabrication of MMMs for water treatment.…”