Effect of calcium dihydrogen phosphate addition on carbon retention and stability of biochars derived from cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin

Abstract

Pyrolysis of biomass with phosphate compound is a promising method to improve biochar characteristics. However, how phosphate compound affects the three components of biomass during the biochar formation is still unclear. In this study, a typical phosphate compound, calcium dihydrogen phosphate (Ca(H2PO4)2), was premixed with cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin reagent, at the ratio of 20% (w/w) for biochar production through pyrolysis, aiming to investigate the effects of Ca(H2PO4)2 addition on biochar formation. Results show that, with Ca(H2PO4)2 additions, carbon retention of biochars from cellulose (MCBC) and hemicellulose (MHBC) increased by 63.4% and 48.3%, respectively, but that of lignin (MLBC) decreased by 6.7% due to the reactions between lignin and Ca(H2PO4)2. Moreover, the stable carbon proportion in the biochar decreased by 10.2% for MCBC, almost unchanged for MHBC, and increased by 6.15% for MLBC based on the potassium dichromate oxidation. During the pyrolysis process, Ca(H2PO4)2 addition fixed more volatile and/or labile carbon in biochar, resulting in greater carbon retention. Declined carbon stability of biochar might be caused by the inhibited formation of aromatic-C, evidenced by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. This study highlights the importance and potential mechanisms of calcium dihydrogen phosphate influencing the carbon retention and stability of biochar derived from three biomass components.