Use Of Biomass Residues Research Articles

Comparison of properties of brown coal and bio-mass-based substitute fuels

Due to the EU climate change strategy, there are many coal-fired heating plants looking for new fuel. One of the possibilities is biomass-based fuels. This term is quite general because the final technology can be different because of properties of different types of biomasses. The sustainable solution can be the use of biomass residues. This article is about long-term monitoring of the properties of brown coal, agglomerated herbaceous biomass from agricultural residues, and wood chips from harvesting residues. 702 samples of brown coal, 715 samples of plant pellets and 607 samples of wood chips were analyzed, which were supplied do commercial heating plant between the years 2021-2023. The water and ash content, lower heating value (LHV) and higher heating value (HHV), were analyzed. The mineral composition of the fuels was determined quarterly from mixed samples. In the case of water content, the lowest values were achieved for herbaceous pellets (11.35%), due to their previous drying. The moisture content of the wood chips fluctuated. The average was 36.34%, with a maximum deviation of up to 49.9%. The average water content in brown coal was around 28.63%. In detail, there is a seasonal influence of the weather. In the case of ash content determination, the values for brown coal and herbaceous pellets are similar (slightly above 5%), wood chips contain less ash (2.2%). The results for the wood chip samples fluctuated again. There were samples consisting of chipped logs (0.33% ash) and samples with a large proportion of forest soil (4.37%). The highest average HHV values were achieved for brown coal (18.98 MJ/kg), followed by herbaceous pellets (15.84 MJ/kg) and wood chips (11.02 MJ/kg). These differences may cause a decrease in steam output due to a limitation of space in the combustion chamber of the boiler after the retrofit. In the case of the content of nonmetallic elements, a different character of the biomass is evident, consisting of a higher oxygen content (38% vs 19%) and a lower carbon content (48% vs 68%). Biomass also contains less sulfur, but the high chlorine content of 0.12% compared to 0.02% in wood chips was determined in herbaceous pellet samples. For a heating plant, this means intensive chlorine corrosion or exceeding the emission limits of HCl. The solution can be in DSI technology. Brown coal contains more Ti, V, Li, Sr, Be, Na, Fe, and Al. The biomass contains more biogenic elements, especially Ca, K, P, and Zn, which allows the ash to be used for land application. For the combustion process, a significantly higher content of alkali has an adverse effect, causing a decrease of the melting temperature of ash, which can lead to technological problems, such as the formation of a material based on alkaline glass, which decreases heat transfer and combustion efficiency. Most often, this complication is solved by micro detonations and more frequent maintenance. The contents of Hg, Cd, and Tl in the samples were below the detection limit.

PYROLYSIS OF SOYBEAN WASTE: A ROUTE TO BIOCARBON FOR PESTICIDES CAPTURE

Background: This study explores the potential use of biomass residues from soybean pressing via static pyrolysis to produce carbonaceous materials for pesticide adsorption. It emphasizes concerns regarding the environmental impact of agroindustrial waste and the persistent nature of pesticides in soil and water systems. Aims: To investigate the efficacy of biochar obtained from soybean waste in adsorbing pesticides. Specifically, to analyze the gas products generated during pyrolysis and characterize the obtained carbonaceous material for its adsorption capabilities. Methods: Soybean residue underwent static pyrolysis at various temperatures and durations. Gas analysis utilizing FTIR spectroscopy identified the gaseous products generated during the pyrolysis process. The obtained biochar underwent successive washes and characterization through FTIR spectra comparison with commercial activated carbon. Through absorption assays, using UV-VIS spectroscopy, investigations were conducted on the solid biocarbon fractions to evaluate their capacity for absorbing pesticides. Results: Gas Analysis: The study revealed the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and highlighted the prevalence of mono-carbon compounds with increased temperature and pyrolysis time. The analysis demonstrated consistent carbon mass percentages across different reaction conditions. Characterization of Biochar: Comparison with activated carbon indicated structural similarities with heightened intensity in certain bands, suggesting the presence of incomplete cellulose cracking in the obtained biochar. Regarding the Chlorothalonil, Atrazine and DIcamba remotion, notably, the concentration of Chlorothalonil in a 7:3 water: acetonitrile solution decreases by 77 % through adsorption on the carbons. Discussion: The investigation examined the adsorption efficiency of the biochar for Chlorothalonil, Atrazine, and Dicamba from aqueous solutions. Chlorothalonil exhibited substantial retention by the biochar, while Atrazine showed comparatively lower adsorption effectiveness. Remarkably, Dicamba did not demonstrate retention by either the biochar or activated carbon. Conclusion: The study underscores the potential of pyrolyzed soybean waste for pesticide adsorption, particularly highlighting Chlorothalonil's strong affinity with the carbonaceous structure. Further research is needed to optimize adsorption properties and explores potential enhancements of these materials through additional treatment methods, offering promising avenues for environmental remediation.

Bioelectric Power Potential Analysis of Agricultural Crop Residues: A Case Study of Nigeria

Nigeria belongs to the League of Nations in the growing economies list in the world and consequently, needed more infrastructural support from different developmental sectors such as the power. Insufficient electricity generation has been a major obstacle to the expected progression in the economic development indices. On a global scale, there has been a growing quest for increasing access to sustainable energy technologies, especially from renewable energy sources. Presently, Nigeria generates over 5000 MW of electricity for a population of over 200 million people. This has created serious techno-economic constrictions in the country. The country has vast potential for renewable energy especially biomass agricultural residues, but the residues have remained largely untapped. Therefore, this study analyzed the electrical potential of biomass agricultural residues in Nigeria. It also presents the varieties of technological perspectives that can be embraced to utilize the residues for power generation in the future. The research is to encourage the use of biomass residues for renewable energy based on sustainable technological approaches. The results obtained presented that as much as approximately 30 TWh of electrical energy can be generated annually from the seven different kinds of biomass agricultural residues investigated.

Sustainable Biomass-Derived Carbon Electrodes for Potassium and Aluminum Batteries: Conceptualizing the Key Parameters for Improved Performance.

The development of sustainable, safe, low-cost, high energy and density power-density energy storage devices is most needed to electrify our modern needs to reach a carbon-neutral society by ~2050. Batteries are the backbones of future sustainable energy sources for both stationary off-grid and mobile plug-in electric vehicle applications. Biomass-derived carbon materials are extensively researched as efficient and sustainable electrode/anode candidates for lithium/sodium-ion chemistries due to their well-developed tailored textures (closed pores and defects) and large microcrystalline interlayer spacing and therefore opens-up their potential applications in sustainable potassium and aluminum batteries. The main purpose of this perspective is to brief the use of biomass residues for the preparation of carbon electrodes for potassium and aluminum batteries annexed to the biomass-derived carbon physicochemical structures and their aligned electrochemical properties. In addition, we presented an outlook as well as some challenges faced in this promising area of research. We believe that this review enlightens the readers with useful insights and a reasonable understanding of issues and challenges faced in the preparation, physicochemical properties and application of biomass-derived carbon materials as anodes and cathode candidates for potassium and aluminum batteries, respectively. In addition, this review can further help material scientists to seek out novel electrode materials from different types of biomasses, which opens up new avenues in the fabrication/development of next-generation sustainable and high-energy density batteries.

Recent Progress in Biomass-Derived Carbon Materials for Li-Ion and Na-Ion Batteries—A Review

Batteries are the backbones of the sustainable energy transition for stationary off-grid, portable electronic devices, and plug-in electric vehicle applications. Both lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (NIBs), most commonly rely on carbon-based anode materials and are usually derived from non-renewable sources such as fossil deposits. Biomass-derived carbon materials are extensively researched as efficient and sustainable anode candidates for LIBs and NIBs. The main purpose of this perspective is to brief the use of biomass residues for the preparation of carbon anodes for LIBs and NIBs annexed to the biomass-derived carbon physicochemical structures and their aligned electrochemical properties. In addition, an outlook and some challenges faced in this promising area of research is presented. This review enlightens the readers with valuable insights and a reasonable understanding of issues and challenges faced in the preparation, physicochemical properties, and application of biomass-derived carbon materials as anode candidates for LIBs and NIBs.

Orange peels as a potential ecological thermal insulation material for building application

Most of the national orange production, estimated at 900,000 tons per year, is processed in several cities in the south area of Italy. Half part of this amount corresponds to the peels, which are separated in the orange selection and processing plants. In this work, the possibility of using orange peels as raw material for the manufacture of building materials for the civil construction industry is studied. Recently, some attempts to reuse by-products derived from citrus waste have been proposed. For example, it was used as a source of nutrients in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries and as a source for energy production. There are precedents in the use of biomass residues in different building blocks, mainly with the aim of generating insulating materials. With this objective, insulating materials were obtained from agriculture by-products also manufactured without a binder. After a drying process, orange peels were characterized with electronic scanning analysis and thermal analysis in order to analyze the application in the building sector. The same by-products for the production of samples in the form of panels were used. In order to establish the best panel composition, physical and thermal properties, as well as mechanical and durability performances of the samples, were characterized.

Optimization and comparison of nonconventional extraction techniques for soluble phenolic compounds from brocade orange (Citrus sinensis) peels.

Brocade orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) peels (BOPs) are rich in a variety of phenols with multiple and strong bioactivities. This study sought to utilize a response surface methodology to optimize the parameters of accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) to obtain phenolic extracts from BOPs. Total phenolic and flavonoid content (TPC and TFC), profiles, and antioxidant activities of extracts for free, esterified-, and glycosylated-bound phenols from ASE were compared with those derived from Soxhlet extraction (SE) (80°C, 6h) and heat-reflux extraction (HRE) (80°C, 3h). Maximum practical TPC and TFC under optimal ASE conditions (15min, 108°C, 82bar, and three cycles) were determined to be 32.82mg gallic acid equivalents/dry weight (DW) and 10.25mg rutin equivalents/DW, respectively. The profiles, contents, and corresponding bioactivities of the extracts significantly depended on extraction method, particularly with regard to phenolic fraction. Generally, ASE and HRE were associated with higher levels of extraction efficiency and higher quality targeted bioactive compounds with stronger antioxidant activity. More importantly, ASE represents a simple, efficient, and time-saving technique for the extraction of phenols. Furthermore, the finding that different phenolic fractions contain variable profiles and contents of phenols is useful for efforts to obtain targeted individual bioactive ingredients and make better use of biomass residues.

BIOACTIVE DEVICES AS SELF-SUFFICIENT SYSTEMS FOR ENERGY PRODUCTION IN ARCHITECTURE

ABSTRACT Using bioenergy systems in architecture provides energy by means of negative emissions technologies (NETs). It plays an important role in stabilizing CO2 emissions at low levels. This depends on options of low life cycle emissions (for instance, a sustainable use of biomass residues), and on outcomes that are site-specific and rely on efficient integrated systems that convert biomass into bioenergy. The objective of this study is to develop self-sufficient systems that generate bioelectricity and offer safety, electricity generation efficiency, cost-effectiveness, waste treatment, integration in domestic use, ease of use, reproducibility and availability. The study also intends to elaborate a general design method of embedding and utilizing microorganisms into architectural elements to achieve design ecology, introducing a multidisciplinary research application through a design theory aspect. The study is based on previous experimental work conducted by the authors. Microbial fuel cell technology was applied to exploit the natural potential of a fungal strain that was identified and optimized to be implemented in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) to generate electricity. The outcomes were included in the self-sufficient cluster design that meets the aforementioned conditions. The novelty of this study is the direct use of a bioreactor of MFCs in a design application for bioelectricity production. It aims to reduce the currently high global CO2 emissions that come from the energy supply sector (47%) and from the building sector (3%), as well as to eliminate the need for large-scale infrastructure intervention. This self-sufficient bio-electricity cluster therefore outweighs other abiotic renewable energy resources such as solar energy or wind power.

Energy transition with biomass residues and waste: regional-scale potential and conflicts. A case study from North Hesse, Germany

ABSTRACT Bioenergy plays a significant role in the expansion of sustainable energy transitions based on renewable energies, and thus in achieving climate targets through decarbonization of global production and consumption patterns. This article deals with the question of whether and which bioenergy potentials exist and the barriers and preconditions relevant for utilization from a regional perspective based on stakeholder interviews in North Hesse, Germany. Insights were gained into the objectives that regional stakeholders associate with energy recovery from residual and waste materials and the role of ecological modernization in this context. Under current conditions, regional stakeholders assess the potential of biomass residues for energy use as low owing to legal barriers to the use of biomass residues and waste for energy, a high degree of fragmentation, and locally specific design of the uses of these resources. These regional stakeholder assessments contradict the expansion targets and potential calculations of government agencies and research centers. Furthermore, regional stakeholders do not link the expansion of residue- and waste-based bioenergy with ecological modernization objectives (i.e. linking ecological objectives with increases in innovation, growth, and employment), but are mainly driven by the search for cost-savings, improved efficiency, and more sustainable use of biomass residues.

Optimization of the Use of Biomass Residues in the Poplar Plywood Sector

Abstract This work of research deals with the optimization of the use of biomass residues within an enterprise working in the poplar plywood sector. Productive process analysis showed that biomass residues deriving from production represent more than 54% of the raw material, sensibly influencing production costs. The management of these production residues needs the definition of optimal strategies in order to increase system efficiency. Every residue is characterized by specific features that distinguish it from other scraps: chemical composition, moisture content, calorific value and price. These characteristics determine the next use of each residue: some of them are burnt to produce thermal energy, others are reused into the productive process and others can be sold in the market. The main objective of this study is represented by the definition of the optimal quantities of the biomass residues for the different purposes in order to maximize the enterprise profit and the definition of the implementation tool in order to apply operatively the defined models. In particular, the proposed tool permits a reduction of the production costs (i.e energy saving) and a consequent increasing of the profit of 15% with respect to the current production policy.

Environmental comparison of forest biomass residues application in Portugal: Electricity, heat and biofuel

The Portuguese government's new strategy is based on the predicted increase in the country's installed electricity capacity through the use of biomass residues, including forest biomass residues. However, this strategy implies that the use of forest biomass residues in electricity production will most likely be at the expense of alternative uses, such as heat and biofuel production. Therefore, what is the best use of forest biomass residues available in the country from an environmental perspective? To answer this question, in this study, a consequential life cycle assessment was applied to assess three different scenarios: 1) the production of electricity in dedicated power plants; 2) the cogeneration of electricity and heat in combined heat and power plants; and 3) the production of bioethanol by biochemical conversion. The results showed that the strategy of using forest biomass residues for electricity production would be advantageous in relation to the baseline (i.e. leaving forest residues in forest soil and using fossil fuel sources to produce energy) only in some environmental impact categories. The results showed that the cogeneration of electricity and heat production was the best alternative among the three scenarios. However, regarding the effects related to particulate matter and marine eutrophication, the results showed that this alternative would perform better than baseline if the displaced fuels were coal in electricity production and at least 12% fuel oil (and the rest natural gas) in heat production. The conversion of forest biomass residues to bioethanol was the least beneficial regarding all categories under study.

Adsorption of Cibacron Yellow F-4G dye onto activated carbons obtained from peanut hull and rice husk: kinetics and equilibrium studies

The use of biomass residues from agricultural processes for the production of cheap and competitive activated carbon (AC) is an excellent option to minimize the costs of existing procedures to remove dyes from wastewater. In this study, the potential use of AC obtained from peanut hulls and rice husks for adsorption of Cibacron Yellow F-4G (CYF-4G) is examined. The activated peanut hull (PHAC) and rice husk (RHAC) were characterized by TGA, FTIR, BET and elemental analysis. The effects of different process variables as well as the dose of adsorbent, dye concentration and pH were evaluated. A decrease in amount of dye adsorbed per unit adsorbent mass was observed when increasing CYF-4G concentration. The results showed an optimal dye adsorption value at a pH of 2.0. The adsorption kinetics of CYF-4G are governed by the pseudo-second-order model. In addition, adsorption fits the Langmuir isotherm better than Freundlich’s. Adsorption capacities of AC prepared from agricultural waste show that PHAC performs better than RHAC to remove CYF-4G.

Mixed biomass pelleting potential for Portugal, step forward to circular use of biomass residues

Densification of the biomass residues as an efficient method to produce a renewable and CO2 neutral energy resource has been in consideration in recent years. However, according to a recent boost in the European wood pellet demand, the importance of R&D studies for substitution and enhancement of current raw materials for pelleting purposes has been increased. A large amount of annual garden waste and agricultural residues in Portugal causes that so-called Mixed Biomass Pelleting (MBP) method becomes a promising approach of the future that by closing the cycles in the agro-economic environments of Portugal, enhances the socio-economic conditions in the rural areas. This itself will have one more important consequence of wildfire prevention in the Portuguese forests. This work as a subset of a broader study that aims to develop an evaluation tool for circular economies will cover the information required for a techno-economic analysis of mixed biomass pelleting by a review on potential assessment methods, a rough-cut assessment of agro-residues potential for Portugal and gathering the required information about pellets origin, characteristics and legislative frames.

Life Cycle Assessment of Maize-Germ Oil Production and the Use of Bioenergy to Mitigate Environmental Impacts: A Gate-To-Gate Case Study

The need to reduce the environmental impacts of the food industry is increasing together with the dramatic increment of global food demand. Circulation strategies such as the exploitation of self-produced renewable energy sources can improve ecological performances of industrial processes. However, evidence is needed to demonstrate and characterize such environmental benefits. This study assessed the environmental performances of industrial processing of maize edible oil, whose energy provision is guaranteed by residues biomasses. A gate-to-gate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach was applied for a large-size factory of Northern Italy to describe: (i) the environmental impacts related to industrial processing and (ii) the contribution of residue-based bioenergy to their mitigation, through the comparison with a reference system based on conventional energy. The results showed that oil refinement is the most impacting phase for almost all the considered impact categories. The use of residue-based bioenergy was found to drastically reduce the emissions for all the impact categories. Moreover, Cumulative Energy Demand analysis revealed that the use of biomass residues increased energy efficiency through a reduction of the total energy demand of the industrial process. The study demonstrates that the exploitation of residue-based bioenergy can be a sustainable solution to improve environmental performances of the food industry, while supporting circular economy.

Sustainable Renewable Energy by Means of Using Residual Forest Biomass

The substitution of energy based on fossil fuel by bioenergy could be an effective solution to reduce external energy dependency, thereby promoting sustainable development. This article details a study of the use of biomass residues produced in the forestry sector as a consequence of field operations of the two predominant forest species (Pinus radiata D. Don and Ecualyptus globulus Labill) of Biscay (Spain). The potential of forest residues is estimated to be 66,600 dry Mg year − 1 . These residues would provide 1307 TJ year − 1 . Energy parameters, ultimate and proximate analyses, and the level of emissions of the forest residues are performed in order to estimate their characteristics as fuel. The research done has shown very similar values in terms of the net calorific value of the residues of P. radiata (19.45 MJ kg − 1 ) and E. globulus (19.48 MJ kg − 1 ). The determined emission factors indicate a reduction in gas emissions: CO (23–25%), CO 2 (22–25%), SO 2 (87–91%) and dust (11–38%) and an increase of 11–37% in NO x compared to hard coal. Estimation of the emission factors of the residual biomass allows the environmental impacts, that are potentially produced by biofuel, to be estimated.

BIOMASS ENERGETIC POTENTIAL FROM TIMBER HARVESTING AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF STORAGE

This research aimed to characterize the energetic potential of chips of biomass residues from timber harvesting, stored outdoors in the field and indoors in the industry throughout different storage times, in order to improve the potential of the materials for energy generation. The study was performed in operational areas of a forestry company located in the Northeast region of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, in a Pinus taeda stand. Chips stored in the different storage types were evaluated at the times of 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 days, according to the following physical and chemical parameters: moisture content, calorific value, and ash content. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and to the Tukey’s post hoc means comparison test at 95% of probability. The results showed that the lowest moisture content was obtained in chips stored indoors for 60 days, whereas for chips stored outdoors the lowest moisture content occurred at 30 days. The chips stored outdoors for 30 days showed a higher calorific value of 4,792 Kcal.Kg -1 , whereas chips stored indoors for 60 days had calorific value equivalent to the other storage times, 4,706 Kcal.Kg -1 . Regarding the ash content, the best storage time for chips stored outdoors was 30 days, presenting an average ash content of 0.9%. Meanwhile, in the indoors storage, the ash content of the chips remained at low levels throughout the evaluated period. The indoor chip storage has proven to be the best option for use of biomass residues from timber harvesting for energy purposes.

Pyrolysis and thermogravimetry of blended and nonblended residues of pine and eucalyptus forestry woods

In this article, we present the results of the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of blended and nonblended residues of Pinus taeda and Eucalyptus benthamii submitted to thermal degradation at heating rates of 5, 15, and 30 K/min, up to a maximum of 900 K. The temperature range is divided into three intervals (corresponding to the pyrolysis stages of drying, devolatilization, and char formation) and each thermal evolution curve is fitted by a modified version of the Coats–Redfern method. The kinetic parameters of the Arrhenius equation are then calculated. The adoption of three temperature intervals provides a better approximation and yields more realistic values, when compared to the single‐temperature interval approach found in most of the consulted literature. Kinetic analysis shows that each evolution profile can be represented as a single first‐order reaction. Moisture, volatile matter, ash, and fixed carbon contents are measured. Among the wood residues investigated, sawdust mixtures and barks of pine seem to be the most suitable fuels for heat generation. On one hand, the practical aim of this study is to advance the use of biomass residues as a renewable energy source among local industries. On the other hand, in theoretical terms, results might help devise new mathematical models and more efficient reaction mechanisms for the heterogeneous combustion of solid particles, which is a complex phenomenon still to be fully understood. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 35: 1521–1528, 2016

Mass and Energy Flows of Cardoon Oil in a Prototype System for Seeds Milling and Vegetable Oil Treatment and Cogeneration

The experimentation was carried out in a prototype for the production of vegetable oil from seeds. The system consists of seeds storage, mill, filtration system, oil tanks and diesel engine for combined heat and power production. The vegetable oil tested is cardoon oil; cardoon biomass is the main topic of BIT3G project, that aims to develop biorefineries integrated in the territory through the use of biomass residues or sustainable energy crops (cardoon, black locust, miscanthus) in marginal lands. In this study the milling step was monitored in order to evaluate mass and energy flows; input biomass was separated into biomass residues and seeds, and each part was evaluated in terms of mass, moisture, low heating value. The milling products, vegetable oil and solid panel, were evaluated in terms of mass, moisture and energy content, estimating oil efficiency in the press and main characteristics. Finally an energy balance was performed monitoring the process energy consumption and energy potential using all obtained products, oil, panel and residues for power, heat and cooling purposes.

A life cycle assessment of environmental and economic balance of biochar systems in Quebec

A life cycle analysis (LCA) for pyrolysis biochar systems was carried out to determine greenhouse gas balance, carbon cycling, and the economics of biochar production from different agricultural residues and wastes. Investigating a range of feedstocks (forest residues, corn stover, etc.) provided insight into the use of biomass residues rather than bioenergy crops as biochar production substrates and the resulting energy and climate change impacts. The analyses were conducted based on various optimized pyrolysis parameters for corn fodder and forest residue. The observed reductions of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (CO2 equivalent per Mg dry feedstock) for both corn fodder and forest residue were mainly contributed by the stable carbon in the biochar. Corn fodder showed a greater reduction in emissions than forest residue, indicating the corn fodder’s greater economic potential for soil sequestration of stable carbon. The relative GHG emission analysis found that the optimization of a biomass pyrolysis system for biochar production is better suited for soil sequestration of stable carbon than as a fuel source. The economic viability of the pyrolysis-biochar system is largely dependent on the costs of feedstock production, pyrolysis, and the value of C offsets. The LCA reported in this study can be instrumental in assessing the environmental potential of biochar production and its application in the region.

Effect of Pretreatment on Biomass Residue Structure and the Application of Pyrolysed and Composted Biomass Residues in Soilless Culture

The changes in the structural characteristics of biomass residues during pyrolysis and composting were investigated. The biomass residues particles were prepared by pyrolysing at temperatures ranging from 350 to 400. For soilless production of the ornamental plant Anthurium andraeanum, pure sphagnum peat moss (P) has traditionally been used as the growing medium. This use of P must be reduced, however, because P is an expensive and nonrenewable resource. The current study investigated the use of biomass residues as substitutes for P in A. andraeanum production. Plants were grown for 15 months in 10 soilless media that contained different proportions of pyrolysed corn cobs (PC), composted corn cobs (C), pyrolysed garden wastes (PG), and P. Although the media altered the plant nutrient content, A. andraeanum growth, development, and yield were similar with media consisting of 50% P+50% PC, 50% P+35% PC+15% PG, and 100% P. This finding indicates that, when pyrolysed, organic wastes, which are otherwise an environmental problem, can be used to reduce the requirement for peat in the soilless culture of A. andraeanum.