Abstract
Biochar has been known to be an excellent soil amendment. However, the biochar yield and its quality are both affected by the process parameter, such as temperature and heating time, and the production method from kiln type used. Therefore, the objective of this work was to characterize the thermal distribution inside the 50-liter kiln at different heating times of the biochar production. The experiments on the kiln with a dimension of 500 mm × 380 mm (height × diameter) including the fuel core with diameter of 115 mm with 5 rows of 6.35 mm drill puncture diameters were conducted. The biochar was produced from 7 kg of agricultural waste corncob. The pyrolysis temperature increased with increasing heating time and it was controlled not exceeding 600 °C by adjusting the briquette fuel quantity. The results showed that the highest temperature was found at the fuel core and decreased in radial direction outwards to the kiln wall. The heating time showed effect on the thermal distribution as well as the biochar yield. The lower thermal gradient and the higher biochar yield were obtained at the higher heating time. The biochar yield would, however, decrease after optimal heating time due to the decomposition and degradation of biochar derived from corncob during the pyrolysis process. The production cost of biochar was also determined. These findings propose agriculturists the optimal heating time along with the production cost to facilitate the biochar production.
Published Version
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