Villardon et al. (2024): Enhancing carbon dioxide uptake in biochar derived from husk biomasses: Optimizing biomass particle size and steam activation conditions

A. Villardon, A. Alcazar-Ruiz, F. Dorado, L. Sanchez- Silva IN: Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 12, 5, 113352, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2024.113352

This research focuses on developing activated biochars for CO₂ adsorption, evaluating the impact of particle size and steam activation conditions on almond shells (AS), pistachio shells (PS), and nut shells (NS), three crops that are grown worldwide. A literature review was carried out on the characteristic parameters that a biomass must have to produce a biochar of an acceptable quality to capture CO_2. Initially, a physicochemical characterization of the selected biomasses was conducted, revealing high levels of volatiles (78–84 wt%), carbon (41–53 wt%), and inherent metals (Ca, K, Mg and Na). This process involved pyrolysis and activation under pre-established conditions, followed by CO₂ adsorption analysis using thermogravimetry. Once the optimal particle size was determined, steam activation conditions were further optimized by varying temperature.

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