Waste to Carbon: Biocoal from Elephant Dung as New Cooking Fuel

Stępień, Paweł; Świechowski, Kacper; Hnat, Martyna; Kugler, Szymon; Stegenta-Dąbrowska, Sylwia; Kozieł, Jacek A.; Manczarski, Piotr; Białowiec, Andrzej

doi:10.3390/en12224344

Cited by 32 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Torrefaction, with the generation of biochar products, was performed using the method described in Białowiec et al [50] in the muffle furnace 8.1/1100, SNOL, Utena, Lithuania. SS was dried for 24 h at 105 • C before the experiment in accordance with Stępień et al [24]. The drying was because the dewatered (raw) SS had the moisture content of 80.2%.…”

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The experimental procedure was the same as [24]. One crucible for a single torrefaction variant, contained between 250~300 g d.m.…”

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Torrefaction is a biomass thermal decomposition process that produces a C-rich product-biochar [12,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. Even though there is no exact definition and the term 'biochar' is loosely used for all char, which is thermochemically or hydrothermally produced out of biomass or waste products with high organic content, there are some limitations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Waste-to-Carbon: Is the Torrefied Sewage Sludge with High Ash Content a Better Fuel or Fertilizer?

et al. 2020

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Sewage sludge (SS) recycling is an important part of the proposed ‘circular economy’ concept. SS can be valorized via torrefaction (also known as ‘low-temperature pyrolysis’ or ‘roasting’). SS can, therefore, be considered a low-quality fuel or a source of nutrients essential for plant growth. Biochar produced by torrefaction of SS is a form of carbonized fuel or fertilizer. In this research, for the first time, we tested the feasibility of torrefaction of SS with high ash content for either fuel or organic fertilizer production. The research was conducted in 18 variants (six torrefaction temperatures between 200~300 °C, and three process residence times of 20, 40, 60 min) in 5 repetitions. Fuel and fertilizer properties and multiple regression analysis of produced biochar were conducted. The higher heating value (HHV) of raw SS was 21.2 MJ·kg−1. Produced biochar was characterized by HHV up to 12.85 MJ·kg−1 and lower H/C and O/C molar ratio. Therefore, torrefaction of SS with high ash content should not be considered as a method for improving the fuel properties. Instead, the production of fertilizer appears to be favorable. The torrefaction increased C, N, Mg, Ca, K, Na concentration in relation to raw SS. No significant (p < 0.05) influence of the increase of temperature and residence time on the increase of biogenic elements in biochar was found, however the highest biogenic element content, were found in biochar produced for 60 min, under the temperature ranging from 200 to 240 °C. Obtained biochars met the Polish regulatory criteria for mineral-organic fertilizer. Therefore SS torrefaction may be considered a feasible waste recycling technology. The calculation of torrefaction energy and the mass balance shows energy demand <2.5 GJ∙Mg−1 w.m., and the expected mass yield of the product, organic fertilizer, is ~178 kg∙Mg−1 w.m of SS. Further investigation should consider the scaling-up of the SS torrefaction process, with the application of other types of SSs.

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Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The experimental procedure was the same as [24]. One crucible for a single torrefaction variant, contained between 250~300 g d.m.…”

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Waste-to-Carbon: Is the Torrefied Sewage Sludge with High Ash Content a Better Fuel or Fertilizer?

et al. 2020

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“…Biochar is the carbon-rich material (a.k.a. char, biocoal) obtained from pyrolysis, torrefaction, or gasification of various types of biomass and biowaste [11][12][13][14][15][16]. Biochar is proposed as a soil amendment and for its relatively low-cost and ease of application [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mitigation of Gaseous Emissions from Swine Manure with the Surficial Application of Biochars

Meiirkhanuly¹,

Kozieł²,

Chen³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Environmental impact associated with odor and gaseous emissions from animal manure is one of the challenges for communities, farmers, and regulatory agencies. Microbe-based manure additives treatments are marketed and used by farmers for mitigation of emissions. However, their performance is difficult to assess objectively. Thus, a comprehensive, practical, and low-cost treatments are still in demand. We have been advancing such treatments based on physicochemical principles. The objective of this research was to test the effect of the surficial application of a thin layer (¼"; 6.3 mm) of biochar on the mitigation of gaseous emissions from swine manure. Two types of biochar were tested: highly alkaline and porous (HAP) biochar made from corn stover and red oak (RO), both with different pH and morphology. Three 30-day trials were conducted with a layer of HAP and RO (2.0 &amp; 1.65 kg∙m-2, respectively) applied on manure surface, and emissions of ammonia (NH3), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), greenhouse gases (GHG), and odorous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured. A significant reduction of NH3 and phenol emissions was observed. In the case of H2S, CH4, CO2, N2O, and other odorous VOCs, the biochar treatment reduced the emissions during the first 1~2 weeks, followed by either no effect or even (in some cases) increase of emissions. Based on this initial lab-scale testing, biochar is promising to be an effective, practical, and economical treatment to reduce emissions from stored swine manure. However, larger-scale experiments are needed to understand how biochar properties and the dose and frequency of application can be optimized to mitigate odor and gaseous emissions from swine manure. The lessons learned can also be applicable to consider using biochar for surficial applications to mitigate gaseous emissions from other types of waste and area sources.

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“…It can be made from many kinds of inexpensive biomass and waste through pyrolysis with none or a low oxygen level. With different temperature and time of the process, the resulting biochar will have different physical and chemical properties (Białowiec et al, 2018;Stępień et al, 2019aStępień et al, , 2019bPulka et al, 2019;Świechowsk et al, 2019;Syguła al et., 2019;Kalus et al, 2019). By using the desired chemical and physical properties, it has excellent research potential to benefit our society.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Biochar Treatment on H2S and NH3 Emissions During Manure Agitation prior to Pump-Out

Chen¹,

Kozieł²,

Lee³

et al. 2020

2020 ASABE Annual International Virtual Meeting, July 13-15, 2020

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Hydrogen sulfide and ammonia are always a concern in the livestock industries, especially when farmers try to clear their manure storage pits. Agitation of manure can cause dangerously high concentrations of harmful agents such as H 2 S and NH 3 to be emitted into the air. Biochar can absorb these gases. We hypothesized that applying biochar on top of manure can create an effective barrier to protect farmers and animals from exposure to NH 3 and H 2 S. In this study, one kind of biochar was tested, highly alkaline, and porous (HAP, pH 9.2) biochar made from corn stover. Two scenarios of (6 mm) 0.25" and (12 mm) 0.5" thick layers of biochar treatments were topically applied to the manure and tested on a pilot-scale setup, simulating a deep pit storage. Each setup experienced 3-min of agitation using a transfer pump, and measurements of the concentrations of NH 3 and H 2 S were taken in real-time and measured until the concentration stabilized after the sharp increase in concentration due to agitation. The results were compared with the control in the following 3 situations: 1. The maximum (peak) flux 2. Total emission from the start of agitation until the concentration stabilized, and 3. The total emission during the 3 min of agitation. For NH 3 , 0.5" HAP biochar treatment significantly (p<0.05) reduced maximum flux by 63.3%, overall total emission by 70%, and total emissions during the 3-min agitation by 85.2%; 0.25" HAP biochar treatment significantly (p<0.05) reduced maximum flux by 75.7%, overall, total emission by 74.5%, and total emissions during the 3-min agitation by 77.8%. For H 2 S, 0.5" HAP biochar treatment reduced the max by 42.5% (p=0.125), overall total emission by 17.9% (p=0.290), and significantly reduced the total emission during 3-min agitation by 70.4%; 0.25" HAP treatment reduced max by 60.6% (p=0.058), and significantly reduced overall and 3-min agitation's total emission by 64.4% and 66.6%, respectively.

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Waste to Carbon: Biocoal from Elephant Dung as New Cooking Fuel

Cited by 32 publications

References 53 publications

Waste-to-Carbon: Is the Torrefied Sewage Sludge with High Ash Content a Better Fuel or Fertilizer?

Waste-to-Carbon: Is the Torrefied Sewage Sludge with High Ash Content a Better Fuel or Fertilizer?

Mitigation of Gaseous Emissions from Swine Manure with the Surficial Application of Biochars

The Impact of Biochar Treatment on H2S and NH3 Emissions During Manure Agitation prior to Pump-Out

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