Properties of chars obtained with pyrolysis of Castanea sativa by product

Abstract

The application of biomass derived energy is gaining importance due to the decreasing supply of fossil fuels and growing environmental concerns. This study described the possibility of utilizing Castanea sativa?s by-product as biofuels by producing char via pyrolysis. The process was carried out in a fixed-bed reactor at different heating rates of 10?C, 100?C, and 200?C per minute at temperatures ranging from 400?C to 700?C, and a nitrogen flow rate of 100 cm3 per minute. The produced chars were characterized by proximate and elemental analyses, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, nuclear magnetic resonance, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray fluorescence analyses. The char yield was found to decrease as both pyrolysis temperature and heating rate increases. The carbon content of char ranged from 68 to 87 wt.%, which correspond to approximately 43% of carbon in the biomass. The char obtained at 700?C had high fixed carbon content (79.90%) as well as high heating value, and hence, it could be used as a solid fuel or as a precursor in the activated carbon production with its 268 m2 per gram surface area.