Charcoal Yield Research Articles

The effect of corn cob, cotton shell and rice straw mixture during carbonization on charcoal yield using mixture design

This study investigated the carbonization of mixture of agricultural by-products (corn cob, cotton shell and rice straw) from Tchad in view to produce charcoal as alternative environmentally friendly source of energy. The structural analysis of the selected biomasses was assessed. The best mixture was identified by the mean of mixture design methodology. The structural analysis (cellulose, hemicellulose and protein) was different from one biomass to another, predicting the possibility to increase charcoal yield by suitable mixture design before carbonization. The result also revealed that taking individually, charcoal yields were 43.56%, 37.20% and 30.07% respectively for rice straw, cotton shell and corn cob. For the optimised mixture of biomasses, the validation conditions presented an adjusted R2 of 98%, a mean absolute deviation (AAD) of 3%, a bias factor of 1.00 and an accuracy factor of 1.04, within the interval to validate. The high charcoal yield was 49.70% and was obtained for the mixture made from19.0 wt.% of corn cob, 68.7 wt.% of rice straw and 12.3 wt.% of cotton shell. This result shows that the mixture of rice straw, cotton shell and corn cob increased the charcoal yield by approximately 6.14%. This percentage is however lower than the 10% increase often observed for hydrothermal carbonization, possibly due to carbonization conditions. Therefore, the mixture of corn cob, cotton shell and rice straw before carbonization process provide a sustainable pathway for the conversion of biomass into solid products with improved charcoal yield compared to those produced by carbonizing the feedstocks separately.

Effect of Drought Stress During Seed Development on Charcoal Rot and Yield of Soybean.

The primary controls for charcoal rot in soybean, caused by the fungal pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina, are to avoid drought stress and to plant a moderately resistant cultivar. The effects of irrigation and cultivar were determined in 2011 and 2013 at the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station, Marianna, AR. Four soybean cultivars (Hutcheson, Osage, Ozark, and R01581F) were planted in plots with or without added M. phaseolina inoculum and subjected to three furrow irrigation regimes: full-season irrigation (Full), irrigation terminated at R5 (CutR5), and nonirrigated (NonIrr). Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was measured at R3 and R6. At harvest, plants and yields were collected. Roots and stems were split and the extent of visible colonization by M. phaseolina microsclerotia was assessed in the roots with a 1 to 5 scale (RSS) and the percent plant height stem discoloration measured. Precipitation in September and October was 54 and 65% below the 30-year average in 2011 and 2013, respectively. The CutR5 irrigation treatment resulted in one less irrigation than Full each year, but CutR5 NDVIs at R6 and yields were significantly lower than those with Full and not significantly different from those of NonIrr. The CutR5 RSS ratings were greater than either Full or NonIrr. Plant colonization by M. phaseolina was negatively correlated to yield in 2011 but not in 2013. No premature plant death caused by charcoal rot was observed in either year. These results indicated that late-season drought stress may be more important to charcoal rot development than drought stress throughout the season, but other factors are needed to trigger early plant death and subsequent yield losses observed in grower fields.

Sustainable conversion of agricultural waste into solid fuel (Charcoal) via gasification and pyrolysis treatment

Managing agricultural waste by burning it in the fields is a straightforward method, but leads to significant pollution. One promising alternative is to convert agricultural waste into solid fuel, such as charcoal, to support renewable energy from biomass. The quality of barbecue charcoal depends upon selecting suitable materials and employing heating methods to ensure efficient transformation. This research aims to study the charcoal conversion process from agricultural waste using two types of kilns: 1) direct heating (gasification kiln: GK) and 2) indirect heating (pyrolysis kiln: PK) designed to recirculate syngas from wood as fuel for the pyrolysis process. The study tested three types of agricultural waste materials, including coconut shells (CS), cassava rhizome (CR), and acacia wood (AW), to examine the differences in charcoal produced by the two heating methods. The tests revealed that the maximum temperatures inside the kilns were 792.45 ± 127.18 °C, 907.67 ± 37.3 °C, and 980.07 ± 110.56 °C for the GK, and 921.88 ± 57.84 °C, 801.93 ± 10.16 °C, and 937.82 ± 95.85 °C for the PK. The charcoal from the PK exhibited higher calorific values than the GK, with 7474.68 ± 36.62, 6429.04 ± 72.22, and 7268.33 ± 52.86 calories per gram. The charcoal yield was also higher in the PK, at 31.29 ± 4.39, 34.33 ± 3.39, and 17.58 ± 2.09 percent for coconut shells charcoal (CSC), cassava rhizome charcoal (CRC), and acacia wood charcoal (AWC), respectively. However, the PK required more fuel and longer ignition times. The resulting charcoal from the slow pyrolysis process in the PK is suitable as barbecue fuel due to its size, which is similar to the original material. In contrast, the charcoal from the GK, which tends to shrink or break into smaller pieces, is more suitable for grinding into briquettes. This study provides a guideline for producing high-quality barbecue charcoal, offering commercial benefits including the gasification and pyrolysis processes that improve combustion efficiency and reduce pollution by producing high-quality gas for fuel, unlike traditional kilns that emit a large amount of CO during the conversion of wood to charcoal and enabling the selection of appropriate raw materials for different heating methods to maximise the utility of the products. This approach adds value to agricultural raw materials and helps effectively manage agricultural waste (zero waste) for further utilisation and development.

The effect of co-combustion of cattle manure and sawdust on energy recovered

The co-hydrothermal carbonization of biomasses has shown many advantages on charcoal yield, carbonization degree, thermal-stability of hydrocar and energy recovered. The goal of this study is to investigate the effect of co-combustion of cattle manure and sawdust on energy recovered. The results show that ash content ranged between 10.38%–20.00%, indicating that the proportion of each variable influences energy recovered. The optimum is obtained at 51% cattle manure and 49% sawdust revealing 37% thermal efficiency and 3.9 kW fire power. These values are higher compared to cattle manure individually which gives values of 30% and 2.3 kW respectively for thermal efficiency and fire power. Thus, the mixture of biomasses enhances energy recovered both in combustion and hydrothermal carbonization. Volatile matter is lower in mixture predicting that the flue gas releases is lower during combustion. Fixed carbon is higher in mixture predicting that energy recovered increases during the combustion of mixture than cattle manure individually. Higher Carbon content was noticed in mixture than cattle manure indicating that the incorporation of sawdust enhances heating value. The incorporation of sawdust in cattle manure can also enhance energy recovered and is more suitable for domestic and industrial application.

Energy potential of Eucalyptus spp. Clone biomass. in the northern region of the legal amazon

The objective of this research was to characterize the energetic properties of the biomass of the bole and twig of clones of Eucalyptus spp. for direct burning and charcoal production. To characterize the wood of the bole and the branch, three trees were selected using the simple random method, from which discs with a thickness of 5 cm (base, middle and top), were obtained from these same trees and samples of the branch were obtained. The biomass of the bole and twig of Eucalyptus urophylla x Eucalyptus gradis presented acceptable characteristics for both direct burning and charcoal production. However, charcoal from bole biomass presented energy properties of total yield in charcoal (33.23%), fixed carbon content (63.50%), higher calorific value (7047.19 kcal/kg) and ash (0.23%) within the recommended range for quality charcoal. A carbonization rate of 500°C is recommended, as it presented a higher percentage of fixed carbon and consequently a higher calorific value and fixed carbon stock.

Towards sustainable charcoal production: Designing an economical brick kiln with enhanced emission control technology

In this research, a brick kiln integrated with pollutant emission control technology was designed and applied in order to produce charcoal from Eucalyptus Globules wood. The batch operation carbonization of wood biomass was undertaken in a 1.25 m3 volume brick kiln. A wet-packed scrubber was designed and constructed by filling gravels in a depth of 40 cm with aggregate sizes of 48–60 mm, 27–33 mm and 16–20 mm from the bottom to the top respectively aiming to treat emission from the charcoal-producing unit. The characteristics of the charcoal produced were determined to be composed of 9% moisture content, 1.5% ash content, 38% charcoal yield and a heating value of 27.53 MJ/kg. On the other hand, the wet scrubber integrated into a brick kiln was found to remove Hydrocarbons, CO2 and CO by 97.8%, 98.5% and 99% respectively, which makes it efficient and practical way of controlling the gasses released during producing of charcoal.

Historical ecological monitoring and appraisal for extractive uses and other values in Malaysia unveils consequences of regime shifts in 120 years of mangrove management

Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (MMFR) in Peninsular Malaysia, with its ‘management plans’ traced back to 1904, is the longest-managed mangrove forest for timber (pole/charcoal) production through intermediate thinning and final felling (or clear-felling) operations. For 115 years, the mangroves in the productive zones have been harvested under a 30-year rotation cycle. The 10-year management plans released by the Forestry Department have been supporting silvicultural management. Despite the long management history, the mangrove biomass and quality were found to have decreased in recent years. Therefore, we analyzed all the available management plans between 1904 and 2019 to summarize both qualitative and quantitative data (i.e., silviculture policy/practice and trading) in search of the shifts in management practices. A comparison with relevant literature on the MMFR was also made to evaluate the potential issues of scientific concern in the ongoing management. We found that the higher yield (per ha) of charcoal and poles in the past 20 years resulted from exploiting the restrictive productive zones (=forest that is environmentally sensitive and marginally productive). With a policy inclined greatly toward the financial outcomes of timber-based products, the current silviculture practice may turn out to be unsustainable if any impacts like extreme weather, tree dieoff, sea-level rise, etc., affect mangroves in the future. We discuss the dilemma between greenwood harvesting and the protection of a diverse range of ecosystem service. This study sheds light on the strengths and weaknesses of historic and current mangrove timber harvesting regimes in MMFR and can contribute to supporting future sustainable mangrove management in Matang, and other forest formation.

Effect of Pyrolysis Temperature and Adhesive Type on the Quality of Biobriquette from Coffee Stem Biomass

Biobriquette is organic waste charcoal printed in such a way that has a high energy density and calorific value. The biobriquette quality is influenced by several factors, including the pyrolysis temperature and the adhesive type. This research aims to evaluate the effect of pyrolysis temperature (250°C, 300°C, and 350°C) and adhesive type (tapioca, molasses, and a tapioca-molasses mixture) on the quality of biobriquette from coffee stem. This research steps include pyrolysis of coffee stem, biobriquette production, and quality analysis of biobriquette. The biobriquette quality described refers to SNI No. 01-6235-2000, including water content, ash content, volatile matter, calorific value, and additional analysis, including fixed carbon, density, compressive strength, and combustion rate. This research shows that increasing the pyrolysis temperature will increase the charcoal yield. Pyrolysis temperature and adhesive type affect the quality of biobriquette. All biobriquette produced at a pyrolysis temperature of 350°C met SNI No. 01-6235-2000, in terms of water, ash, volatile, and heating values. The best biobriquette was obtained with a pyrolysis temperature of 350°C and tapioca adhesive, with water content of 2.45%, ash content of 2.35%, volatile matter of 1.24%, density of 1,345 g/cm3, compressive strength of 91.775 kg/cm2, and a calorific value of 7,463.957 cal/g.

Efficiency Improvement, Design Optimization, and Expansion of Oxygen Flow Valve Holes in Small Industrial Scale Husk Furnaces

Indonesia has an abundant amount of industry. Production in large, medium, and small industries still uses gas and oil as fuel sources. The fuel sources used still come from non-renewable energy. There is a need for alternative use of renewable energy to reduce the use of non-renewable energy. One solution is the use of rice husk biomass as a fuel source. Rice husk is still often considered as waste despite its many utilizations. The utilization of rice husk waste must be improved to increase its beneficial value. Rice husk waste can be utilized as a fuel source in a husk furnace. A husk furnace is a cooking device in which the fuel (rice husk) is burned using direct combustion. This research aims to optimize the efficiency of the husk furnace by varying the size of the oxygen flow valve hole and the mass of water being heated. Tests were conducted on four variations of oxygen flow valve hole size, namely, 36x27 cm2, 36x34 cm2, 43x34 cm2, and 50x34 cm2, and two variations of water mass (6 and 18 kg). The research was conducted by heating water using the Water Boiling Test method with test parameters: heating time, fuel consumption rate, energy in, energy out, heat efficiency, heat transfer rate, and ash and charcoal yield. The significant efficiency value can be used as a reference for small-scale industrial rice husk furnaces. The most significant efficiency in the study was 54.99%, achieved by a 43x34 cm2 valve hole for heating 18 kg of water. Based on the most effective efficiency value gained, the expansion of the oxygen flow valve hole is sufficient to be used as a test parameter to test the optimization of small industrial-scale husk furnaces.

Integrated Management of Charcoal Rot and Its Influence on Seed Yield and Quality in Soybean

Charcoal rot (Macrophomina phaseolina) causes high grain yield loss in major soybean-growing nations worldwide. The present study aimed to reveal the effect of stage-wise charcoal rot incidence and their root and stem severity index on the yield criteria of soybean varieties. Additionally, an attempt was made to derive integrated management practices and their influence on seed quality. All the twelve varieties were affected by charcoal rot, and its incidence and root and stem severity index were high in Shivalik (48.5% and 3.7, respectively). In yield estimation, the percentage of yield loss ranged from 8.7% (JS 20-98) to 53.9% (Shivalik). Percent yield loss had a strong significant positive relation with percent incidence (0.912**) and Root and Stem severity index (0.813**) of charcoal rot. Seed treatment of Penflufen 13.28% + Trifloxystrobin 13.28 % FS @ 1ml/kg followed by spraying of tebuconazole 25% EC @ 0.1 % spraying at 45,60,75 days was significantly superior in reducing charcoal rot (19.7%) in comparison to untreated (37.3%). The highest seed germination (80.0 %) and least association with M. phaseolina (13.33%), Aspergillus flavus (3.33%), Fusarium sp., (13.34%) in comparison to control (50, 36.67, 23.33 and 36.67 %, respectively) were also resulted from the seed obtained from above treatment. In bioagent, seed treatment of T. harzianum @ 10 gm/kg followed by foliar spray of tebuconazole 25% EC @ 0.1% at 45,60,75 days was the second-best combination among all treatments in all respects. The effect of these fungicides and bio agents as seed treatment also improved the number of branches, pods, 100 seed weight and yield. Hence, these combinations could be applied to minimize charcoal rot and yield losses in soybean.

Alaban wood (Vitex pinnata) as a promising feedstock in the community-scale charcoal industry: A case study of KPHP Kendilo, Indonesia

Indonesian forest production management unit, also called KPHP, have initiated various programs to develop the prosperity of local societies around forest area, including their independence in the energy sector. Charcoal is an ancient green energy which is still traditionally produced by those people for daily usage. Currently, the demand of charcoal for many modern industries in the world has been growing, showing its high potential as future export commodities since Indonesia has a richness in the forest biomass resources for charcoal feedstock. Therefore, we conducted a suitability analysis of the community-scale charcoal production at KPHP Kendilo, one of the forest management units located in East Kalimantan province. Alaban wood (Vitex pinnata) is considered the most potential biomass in this area, indicating its high availability in nature for charcoal feedstok. It was converted by a drum kiln technique using ratio of fuel wood and raw material at 1 : 2 (dry matter) for approximately 4 hours. It showed that the plant having diameter of above 15 cm possessed the highest charcoal yield (6.83 ton/ha), with appropriate energy properties (7,001 kcal/kg). Finally, this study points out the promising of Alaban wood in KPHP Kendilo for charcoal production in the rural communities.

Mini-Kilns for Charcoal-Making: An Eco-Friendly Solution for Small-Scale Production of Charcoal and Wood Vinegar

Charcoal is one of the most essential energy sources in the world and is used mainly for domestic and industrial purposes. Brazilian charcoal production occurs in rudimentary masonry kilns without concern for process safety or energy waste. This work aimed to develop a mini carbonization system of three kilns coupled to a vertical smoke burner for optimized and environmentally correct charcoal and wood vinegar (WV) production on small farms. The project was divided into three parts for dimensioning: the three-kiln set, the WV condensing device, and the smoke burner. The condenser was designed following the procedures from the standards of TEMA (Tubular Exchangers Manufacturers Association); ASME (Society of Mechanical Engineers of the United States) Section VIII, Division 1; and the NR-13 (Regulatory Standard) of ABNT (Brazilian Association of Technical Standards). In contrast to the current scenario, in which primitive carbonization technologies are still employed, bringing about low charcoal yields and significant pollution release, the use of a mini-kiln that allows charcoal production and wood vinegar recovery combined with pollutant smoke burning is an interesting eco-friendly solution. Thus, the mini-kiln model presented here brings a low cost and environmental safety to the charcoal production chain, reaching sustainability parameters and offering higher income opportunities to small producers.

Improvements in charcoal production and the environmental implications: Potential for the invasive Prosopis juliflora in Kenya

Charcoal is a common woodfuel in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Unsustainable wood sourcing and inefficient carbonization result into negative environmental impacts. This action research aimed at building the capacity for sustainable charcoal production including `improving the traditional earth mound kiln (TEK) that is used by 99% of charcoal producers in Kenya. Small stems and branches of the invasive Prosopis juliflora were used and produced quality charcoal with 28 kJ/g which will save trees. Improved earth mound kiln (IEK) increased charcoal yield by 49% per mass of sun dried wood fed into the kiln and reduced emissions of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons by 40%, 49% and 44% respectively. Net charcoal yield by a mass of dry wood in TEK and IEK was 26.4% and 28.4% respectively. Communication and capacity development on sustainable charcoal benefit people and environment. Studies on sustainable charcoal and effects on dryland socio-ecological systems will be needed.

Investigations on carbonization operating conditions of ANSYS customized kiln for charcoal production from Prosopis juliflora biomass and ANN model prediction for optimized operating conditions

The majority of the population still uses charcoal for domestic and industrial purposes. Charcoal is favored by many developing countries because of its low cost and ever-increasing energy demand. The objective of this study is to provide the optimum temperature and moisture content for a fixed residence time toobtain a good quality charcoal yield. The kiln model has been validated using ANSYS, before fabricating the kiln. The selected kiln is a verticalrectangular steel kiln and horizontal square stacking is followed. The wood used for charcoal production is Prosopis juliflora. Initially, wood is subjected to a pyrolysis process to determine the optimum residence time, 3 and 4 hrs were considered for the experiment. The wood is subjected to a pyrolysis process for different moisture content of 30.7 and 15.45% in varying pyrolysis temperatures of 350, 380, 420, 450 and 500 ⁰C. from the experimental results, it is revealed that the optimum residing time is 4 hrs and the optimum temperature is 500 ⁰C, because more time facilitates the evaporation of lite volatile matter and forms a good quality of charcoal yield with more fixed carbon if 15.45 % moisture air dried wood is used. ANN model was developed and evaluated for a different training function by varying hidden layer neuron numbers. The suitability of the developed ANN model is verified based on deviation in error with the experimental values for different input values.

Production of Charcoal Through Partial Combustion in a Wood Stove

Philippines is a country rich in natural resources that can be converted into biomass fuels, such as charcoal. This study aims to determine the viability of producing charcoal through partial combustion using Mahogany and Ipil – Ipil wood in a wood stove before burying the charred wood samples in clay soil. Sample preparation was done by machining pruned branches into a size of 1-in diameter by 6-in length, then drying them until their moisture content was below 20%. The dry wood samples were then charred in a wood stove at different residence times. After reaching the residence time of a trial, the charred sample was wrapped in tin foil and buried in clay soil to cool for 24 hours. Afterwards, proximate analysis and bomb calorimetry were done on the charcoals produced. Results of the tests show that with longer residence time, charcoal yield decreased; moisture content increased due to increase in charcoal hygroscopicity; volatile matter decreased due to devolatilization; and fixed carbon content increased. Also, ash content increased for Mahogany charcoals while in Ipil-Ipil, it hardly varied. Furthermore, Ipil-Ipil charcoals were found to have greater calorific values than Mahogany charcoals due to Ipil – Ipil wood having greater calorific value.

Charcoal properties of Malaysian bamboo charcoal carbonized at 750 °C

The carbonization of five Malaysian bamboo species, namely Bambusa vulgaris, Dendrocalamus asper, Gigantochloa hasskarliana, Gigantochloa levis, and Schizostachyum brachycladum, was conducted to investigate the charcoal properties and compare the quality of bamboo charcoal produced based on proximate analysis. Carbonization at 750 °C using a modified Iwasaki steel drum kiln was successful for all bamboo species. Bamboo morphological features varied and basic density increased with culm height. A charcoal yield of more than 30% was recorded in all bamboo species except for B. vulgaris and D. asper. Charcoals made from D. asper and G. hasskarliana could serve as the alternative raw material for charcoal production in charcoal industries due to their low moisture, low volatile matter, low ash, and high fixed carbon content. All species had a mean gross calorific value between 24.4 and 29.2 MJ/kg. Among different culm sections, the bottom section produced the best quality charcoal. The charcoal quality from all species was of acceptable quality for domestic use.

Social and environmental impacts of traditional charcoal production: a case study in Hau Giang province, Viet Nam

This study investigated the status, environmental health risks and assessed contaminant concentrations of waste gases and ambient air quality in traditional charcoal production kiln areas in Hau Giang province. In total, 284 charcoal producers, 160 charcoal workers and 160 neighbors were interviewed using structured questionnaires. Additionally, Carbon monoxide (CO), nitro dioxide (NO2), total suspended particles (TSP), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) from traditional kilns and ambient air samples were analyzed. The result show that the number of kilns owned by each charcoal producer was 3.13 kilns per household; of which the average volume of each kiln was 59.07­ m3 kiln-1, with a yearling charcoal yield of around 80.71 ton kiln-1. The profitability of charcoal producers was annually approximately 133 million VND per household. Charcoal workers predominantly reported suffering from eye irritation issues (41.6%) whilst adjacent neighbors frequently experienced respiratory problems (87.5%). The interviewees obviously recognized the negative impacts of charcoal production activities on community health (63.1% respondents) and local fruit farmers (79.4% respondents), yet only the minority of residents (8.11% respondents) required a change from the current charcoal-based livelihood. The CO, TSP, and SO2 in waste gas compositions all exceeded the maximum permissive levels of the Vietnamese National Standard (QCVN 19:2009/BTNMT), while the air quality surpassed the safety level of TSP and SO2 (QCVN 05:2013/BTNMT). This indicates very high risk to those who are regularly exposed to the air pollutants. The study suggested that technological solutions and responsible policies should be enforced to promote the sustainability of charcoal production and minimize the negative impacts on human health and the environment.

KARAKTERISTIK ARANG KAYU KARET (HEVEA BRASILIENSIS) YANG DIPRODUKSI MENGGUNAKAN DUA TIPE TUNGKU PIROLISIS

As the largest natural rubber producing country after Thailand, Indonesia has an immense potential of rubberwood sources. Rubberwood waste is suitable for raw materials to produce charcoal through pyrolysis method, providing more value-added. Kilns used in the pyrolysis process are diverse. The different kiln used will affect the characteristics of the charcoal produced. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of rubberwood charcoal produced using box-type kiln and dome-type kiln. The characteristics analyzed were charcoal yield, moisture content, ash content, volatile matter, and fixed carbon. The results showed dome and box-type kilns produced charcoals with different characteristics. Char yield of charcoal produced using box and dome-type kilns was 15.82% and 14.21%. Charcoal produced using box-type kiln has a moisture content of 4.51%, ash content of 3.06%, volatile matter of 18.10%, and fixed carbon of 74.33%, while charcoal produced using dome-type kiln has a moisture content of 6.16%, ash content 2.52%, volatile matter of 6.26%, and fixed carbon of 85.06%. The charcoal characteristics met the SNI 01-1683-1989 standard, except for the moisture content of charcoal produced using dome-type kiln.

Bamboo for producing charcoal and biochar for versatile applications.

Bamboo, the fastest-growing plant, has several unique characteristics that make it appropriate for diverse applications. It is low-cost, high-tensile, lightweight, flexible, durable, and capable of proliferating even in ineffectual areas (e.g., incline). This review discusses the unique properties of bamboo for making charcoal and biochar for diverse applications. To produce bamboo charcoal and biochar, this study reports on the pyrolysis process for the thermal degradation of organic materials in an oxygen-depleted atmosphere under a specific temperature. This is an alternative method for turning waste biomass into products with additional value, such as biochar. Due to various advantages, bamboo charcoal is preferred over regular charcoal as it has four times the absorption rate and ten times more surface area reported. According to the reports, the charcoal yield ranges from 24.60 to 74.27%. Bamboo chopsticks were the most useful source for producing charcoal, with a high yield of 74.27% at 300 °C in nitrogen, but the thorny bamboo species have a tremendous amount of minimal charcoal, i.e., 24.60%. The reported biochar from bamboo yield ranges from 32 to 80%. The most extensive biochar production is produced by the bamboo D. giganteus, which yields 80% biochar at 300 °C. Dry bamboo stalks at 400 °C produced 32% biochar. One of the sections highlights biochar as a sustainable solution for plastic trash management produced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another section is dedicated to the knowledge enhancement about the broad application spectrum of the charcoal and biochar. The last section highlights the conclusions, future perspectives, and recommendations on the charcoal and biochar derived from bamboo.

Evaluation of Four Types of Kilns Used to Produce Charcoal from Several Tree Species in Mexico

Charcoal production is an activity that dates back over the years. The objective of the study was to determine the temperature and heating ramp in industrial carbonization processes using different kiln types and to quantify its impact on yield and quality of charcoal from different firewood species. The selection of sites, kiln types, and species investigated was based on those with highest production in Mexico. Brazilian beehive kilns using Arbutus xalapensis, Quercus durifolia, and Quercus sideroxyla species were analyzed; modified Brazilian beehive kilns with Pithecellobium dulce and Tamarindus indica; Argentine half-orange kilns with Quercus magnoliifolia and Q. sideroxyla, industrial metal kilns with Brosimum alicastrum, Vitex gaumeri, Manilkara zapota, and Pouteria unilocularis. The process time, temperature, heating ramp, production yield, and quality of charcoal produced were determined. Data were analyzed in a completely random statistical design. The industrial type kilns showed the highest production yield (>35%), and the Brazilian beehive kilns obtained the longest carbonization time (>240 h). On the other hand, the modified Brazilian beehive kilns obtained the best energetic characteristics (>75% fixed carbon and <16% volatile material). A carbonization process with a slow heating ramp (<1 °C min−1) and temperatures of 500–600 °C can generate a charcoal with export quality.