Quality variations of poultry litter biochar generated at different pyrolysis temperatures

Producing biochar and biofuels from poultry litter (PL) through slow pyrolysis is a farm-based, value-added approach to recycle the organic waste. Experiments were conducted to examine the effect of pyrolysis temperature on the quality PL biochar and to identify the optimal pyrolysis temperature for converting PL to agricultural-use biochar. As peak pyrolysis temperature increased incrementally from 300 to 600 °C, biochar yield, total N content, organic carbon (OC) content, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) decreased while pH, ash content, OC stability, and BET surface area increased. The generated biochars showed yields 45.7–60.1% of feed mass, OC 325–380 g kg⁻¹, pH 9.5–11.5, BET surface area 2.0–3.2 m² g⁻¹, and CEC 21.6–36.3 cmol_c kg⁻¹. The maximal transformation of feed OC into biochar recalcitrant OC occurred at 500 °C, yet 81.2% of the feed N was lost in volatiles at this temperature. To produce agricultural-use PL biochar, 300 °C should be selected in pyrolysis; for carbon sequestration and other environmental applications, 500 °C is recommended.     

One-step synthesis of hollow structured Si/C composites based on expandable microspheres as anodes for lithium ion batteries

Si/C composites of carbon hollow structures loaded with Si nanoparticles (NPs) (Si/C-HSs) were prepared by one-step pyrolysis of a mixture of Si NPs and expandable microspheres (EMs). For the Si/C-HSs, hollow carbon shells with rough surfaces were formed by directly carbonizing the polymer shells of EMs, and the Si NPs fell into the void space or were loaded on the rough surfaces of the carbon shells. The EM-based carbon shells accommodated the volume expansion of the Si NPs and improved the electrical conductivity of the composites. As a result, the Si/C-HSs exhibited a high capacity (initial reversible capacity: 854.4 mAh g^− 1 at 300 mA g^− 1), stable cycling performance (capacity retention: 80% after 50 cycles), and excellent rate capability.     

Non-isothermal pyrolysis of used lubricating oil and the catalytic effect of carbon-based nanomaterials on the process performance

Pyrolysis is a commonly used method for the recovery of used lubricating oil (ULO), which should be kinetically improved by a catalyst, due to its high level of energy consumption. In this research, the catalytic effects of carbon nanotube (CNT) and graphene nanoplatelets on the pyrolysis of ULO were studied through thermogravimetric analysis. First, the kinetic parameters of ULO pyrolysis including activation energy were calculated to be 170.12 and 167.01 kJ mol^?1 by FWO and KAS methods, respectively. Then, the catalytic effects of CNT and graphene nanoplatelets on pyrolysis kinetics were studied. While CNT had a negligible effect on the pyrolysis process, graphene nanoplatelets significantly reduced the temperature of maximum conversion during pyrolysis from 400 to 350 °C, due to high thermal conductivity and homogenous heat transfer in the pyrolysis process. On the other hand, graphene nanoplatelets maximized the rate of conversion of highly volatile components at lower temperatures (<?100 °C), which was mainly due to the high affinity of these components toward graphene nanoplatelets and also the effect of nanoplatelets’ edges which have free tails and can bond with other molecules. Moreover, graphene nanoplatelets decreased the activation energy of the conversion to 154.48 and 152.13 kJ mol^?1 by FWO and KAS methods, respectively.

     

Pyrolysis of wood impregnated with phosphoric acid for the production of activated carbon: Kinetics and porosity development studies

The pyrolysis of impregnated wood for the production of activated carbon is investigated. Laboratory experiments are performed in a TG for heating rates of 10 °C/min and 20 °C/min and a mathematical model for the kinetics of the pyrolysis process is developed and validated. The effect of the temperature and of the time duration of the pyrolysis process on the specific surface of the activated carbon is examined on the basis of experiments conducted in a crossed bed reactor. Results indicate that the temperature and the residence time in the pyrolysis reactor may be optimised. Indeed, it is found that the maximum specific surface of the end product is obtained for pyrolysis processes conducted at a temperature of 400 °C for a time period of 1 h.     

TG-FTIR coupling to monitor the pyrolysis products from agricultural residues

Thermogravimetry has been widely used for the characterization of several biomasses but the most useful information given by this technique has been normally concerned to the relative amounts of humidity, hemi-cellulose, cellulose and lignin present in the biomass. TG-FTIR has been used to yield qualitative data about the pyrolysis products, in an exploratory way, by some authors. In the present paper, this technique was employed to reach comparative data about the products of pyrolysis of biomasses that are potentially available at economic bases for the production of biofuels. Agricultural residues such as coconut shell, sugarcane bagasse, corn stalks and peanut shell were chosen to be investigated. For all samples, the thermogravimetric curves showed a mass loss between 35 and 400 °C changed up to 73%, while that the loss between 400 and 800 °C changed up to 26%. TG-FTIR indicated tendencies in the rate of the formation of important species during the pyrolysis process of the four biomasses studied. The interpretation of the spectra allowed the proposition of characteristic absorbance ratios and the comparison of these values allowed inferences about the relative abundances of components formed in the pyrolysis of the biomasses. As an example of the possible inferences reached, among the species formed in the pyrolysis condensate, called bio-oil, the formation of carboxylic acids has to be specially considered due to their corrosivity. Thus, the data produced indicated that a bio-oil derived from peanut shell should be a little less acidic while the one derived from sugarcane bagasse should be showed more acidic among the biomasses studied.     

Dual-emitter polymer carbon dots with spectral selection towards nanomolar detection of iron and aluminum ions

We report on the spectral selection of excitation wavelength towards selective detection of aluminum and iron ions using dual emission polymer carbon dots (PCDs). PCDs were prepared from glucose and dilute sulfuric acid using one-pot solvothermal method. The PCDs emit blue light at 480 nm when excited at 340 nm, while emit red light at 590 nm when excited with 400 nm. Spectral selection (selection of excited state) showed sensitivity enhancement for detection of some metal ions. The PCDs showed fluorescence enhancement when combined with Al³⁺ ions with hypsochromic shift centered at 470 nm when excited at 440 nm. While the PCDs selectively quenched via addition of Fe³⁺ ions, when excited at 400 nm. The wavelength selection of the same carbon dots increases signal to noise ration. The PCDs showed thermo-sensing behavior from 0 °C to 90 °C with reasonably good reversibility. The PCDs acted as fluorescent probes for multicolor (green and yellow) imaging of MCF-7 cells while not inducing cell death, which indicates that the PCDs are biocompatible and nontoxic to the cells. Therefore, the PCDs can be used as probes for cell-imaging applications in vitro and in vivo. The PCDs proved to be a multi-purpose polymer carbon nanomaterial that can used for pharmaceutical analysis, bio-imaging and thermo-sensing while providing high accuracy, selectivity and a limit of detection in the nano range.     

Rational hydrothermal synthesis of graphene quantum dots with optimized luminescent properties for sensing applications

Hydrothermal synthesis using graphene oxide (GO) as a precursor has been used to produce luminescent graphene quantum dots (GQDs). However, such a method usually requires many reagents and multistep pretreatments, while can give rise to GQDs with low quantum yield (QY). Here, we investigated the concentration, the temperature of synthesis, and the pH of the GO solution used in the hydrothermal method through factorial design experiments aiming to optimize the QY of GQDs to reach a better control of their luminescent properties. The best synthesis condition (2 mg/mL, 175 °C, and pH = 8.0) yielded GQDs with a relatively high QY (8.9%) without the need of using laborious steps or dopants. GQDs synthesized under different conditions were characterized to understand the role of each synthesis parameter in the materials' structure and luminescence properties. It was found that the control of the synthesis parameters enables the tailoring of the amount of specific oxygen functionalities onto the surface of the GQDs. By changing the synthesis' conditions, it was possible to prioritize the production of GQDs with more hydroxyl or carboxyl groups, which influence their luminescent properties. The as-developed GQDs with tailored composition were used as luminescent probes to detect Fe³⁺. The lowest limit of detection (0.136 μM) was achieved using GQDs with higher amounts of carboxylic groups, while wider linear range was obtained by GQDs with superior QY. Thus, our findings contribute to rationally produce GQDs with tailored properties for varied applications by simply adjusting the synthesis conditions and suggest a pathway to understand the mechanism of detection of GQDs-based optical sensors.     

Efficient preparation of carbon papers by pyrolysis of iodine-treated Japanese paper

A novel carbon paper has been prepared by pyrolysis from traditional Japanese paper called washi in Japan, which is mainly composed of cellulose microfibers. The washi was iodine-treated before pyrolysis. The effect of iodine-treatment on pyrolysis of the washi was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis. The structural and electrical properties of the carbon papers were also investigated using Raman scattering, X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and resistivity measurements. The iodine-treatment prevents cellulose from thermally decomposing and is effective in increasing the carbon yield and retaining its fibrillar structure. Porous carbon papers consisting of many micro and nanofibrils were prepared by the pyrolysis of the iodine-treated washi at 800 °C. Those prepared at 800 °C and then heat-treated at higher temperatures than 1800 °C show electrical conductivities of 3 S cm⁻¹ and 24–27 S cm⁻¹. The degree of crystallinity and the electrical conductivity of the papers are improved by the heat treatment at higher temperatures.     

Utilization of camellia oleifera shell for production of valuable products by pyrolysis

Camellia oleifera shell is used as the feedstock to prepare the valuable products by pyrolysis using microwave heating at 400-800 °C. The yield of pyrolysis product is influenced by pyrolysis temperature, which indicates that high pyrolysis temperature promotes to generate bio-gas and restrains the production of biochar. However, pyrolysis temperature little influences the yield of bio-oil. The main compound of bio-oil is phenols, hydrocarbons, ketones, aldehydes and furans, respectively. While, bio-oil produced at 600 °C has as high as 78 % of phenols, which has potential application in chemical industries. The pyrolysis temperature has significantly influenced the composition and heating value of bio-gas. The maximum heating value of bio-gas is 12.44 MJ/Nm³, which is achieved at 600 °C. The physiochemical properties of biochar are also influenced by pyrolysis temperature. Biochar could be used as an adsorbent to adsorb Ag⁺ from aqueous solution, which is formed the value-added ABiochar composite by reduction. The adsorption and reduction process of Ag⁺ are investigated. While, ABiochar composite can be used as the catalyst for methylene blue degradation. ABiochar composite can be also used in the lithium ion battery cathode material for energy storage.     

Effects of pyrolysis conditions on the physical characteristics of oil-palm-shell activated carbons used in aqueous phase phenol adsorption

Oil-palm shells, a biomass by-product from palm-oil mills, were converted into activated carbons by vacuum or nitrogen pyrolysis, followed by steam activation. The effects of pyrolysis environment, temperature and hold time on the physical characteristics of the activated carbons were studied. The optimum pyrolysis conditions for preparing activated carbons for obtaining high pore surface area are vacuum pyrolysis at a pyrolysis temperature of 675 °C and 2 h hold time. The activation conditions were fixed at a temperature of 900 °C and 1 h hold time. The activated carbons thus obtained possessed well-developed porosities, predominantly microporosities. For the pyrolysis atmosphere, it was found that significant improvement in the surface characteristics of the activated carbons was obtained for those pyrolysed under vacuum. Adsorption capacities of activated carbons were determined using phenol solution. For the activated carbons pyrolysed under optimum vacuum conditions, a maximum phenol adsorption capacity of 166 mg/g of carbon was obtained. A linear relationship between the BET surface area and the adsorptive capacity was shown.     

Thermal characteristics of bitumen pyrolysis

The pyrolysis behavior of bitumen was investigated using a thermogravimetric analyzer–mass spectrometer system (TG–MS) and a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) as well as a pyrolysis-gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer system (Py-GC/MS). TG results showed that there were three stages of weight loss during pyrolysis—less than 110, 110–380, and 380–600 °C. Using distributed activation energy model, the average activation energy of the thermal decomposition of bitumen was calculated at 79 kJ mol⁻¹. The evolved gas from the pyrolysis showed that organic species, such as alkane and alkene fragments had a peak maximum temperature of 130 and 480 °C, respectively. Benzene, toluene, and styrene released at 100 and 420 °C. Most of the inorganic compounds, such as H₂, H₂S, COS, and SO₂, released at about 380 °C while the CO₂ had the maximum temperature peaks at 400 and 540 °C, respectively. FTIR spectra were taken of the residues of the different stages, and the results showed that the C–H bond intensity decreased dramatically at 380 °C. Py-GC/MS confirmed the composition of the evolved gas. The DSC revealed the endothermic nature of the bitumen pyrolysis.     

Characterization and Artificial Neural Networks Modelling of methylene blue adsorption of biochar derived from agricultural residues: Effect of biomass type,pyrolysis temperature,particle size

Biochar has been explored as a sorbent for contaminants, soil amendment and climate change mitigation tool through carbon sequestration. Through the optimization of the pyrolysis process, biochar can be designed with qualities to suit the intended uses. Biochar samples were prepared from four particle sizes (100–2000 µm) of three different feedstocks (oak acorn shells, jift and deseeded carob pods) at different pyrolysis temperatures (300–600 °C). The effect of these combinations on the properties of the produced biochar was studied. Biochar yield decreased with increasing pyrolysis temperature for all particle sizes of the three feedstocks. Ash content, fixed carbon, thermal stability, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), specific surface area (SSA) of biochar increased with increasing pyrolysis temperature. Volatile matter and pH value at the point of zero charge (pH_pzc) of biochar decreased with increasing pyrolysis temperature. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis indicated that the surface of the biochar was rich with hydroxyl, phenolic, carbonyl and aliphatic groups. Methylene blue (MB) adsorption capacity was used as an indicator of the quality of the biochar. Artificial neural networks (ANN) model was developed to predict the quality of the biochar based on operational conditions of biochar production (parent biomass type, particle size, pyrolysis temperature). The model successfully predicted the MB adsorption capacity of the biochar. The model is a very useful tool to predict the performance of biochar for water treatment purposes or assessing the general quality of a design biochar for specific application.     

Thermal degradation and evolved gas analysis: A polymeric blend of urea formaldehyde (UF) and epoxy (DGEBA) resin

A polymeric blend has been prepared using urea formaldehyde (UF) and epoxy (DGEBA) resin in 1:1 mass ratio. The thermal degradation of UF/epoxy resin blend (UFE) was investigated by using thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), coupled with FTIR and MS. The results of TGA revealed that the pyrolysis process can be divided into three stages: drying process, fast thermal decomposition and cracking of the sample. There were no solid products except ash content for UFE during combustion at high temperature. The total mass loss during pyrolysis at 775 °C is found to be 97.32%, while 54.14% of the original mass was lost in the second stage between 225 °C and 400 °C. It is observed that the activation energy of the second stage degradation during combustion (6.23 × 10⁻⁴ J mol⁻¹) is more than that of pyrolysis (5.89 × 10⁻⁴ J mol⁻¹). The emissions of CO₂, CO, H₂O, HCN, HNCO, and NH₃ are identified during thermal degradation of UFE.     

Evaluation of the porous structure development of chars from pyrolysis of rice straw: Effects of pyrolysis temperature and heating rate

The effects of pyrolysis temperature and heating rate on the porous structure characteristics of rice straw chars were investigated. The pyrolysis was done at atmospheric pressure and at temperatures ranging from 600 to 1000 °C under low heating rate (LHR) and high heating rates (HHR) conditions. The chars were characterized by ultimate analysis, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), helium density measurement and N₂ physisorption method. The results showed that temperature had obvious influence on the char porous characteristics. The char yield decreased by approximately 16% with increasing temperature from 600 to 1000 °C. The carbon structure shrinkage and pore narrowing occurred above 600 °C. The shrinkage of carbon skeleton increased by more than 22% with temperatures rising from 600 to 1000 °C. At HHR condition, progressive increases in porosity development with increasing pyrolysis temperature occurred, whereas a maximum porosity development appeared at 900 °C. The total surface area (S_total) and micropore surface area (S_micro) reached maximum values of 30.94 and 21.81 m²/g at 900 °C and decreased slightly at higher temperatures. The influence of heating rate on S_total and S_micro was less significant than that of pyrolysis temperature. The pore surface fractal dimension and average pore diameter showed a good linear relationship.     

Sterculia foetida fruit shell based activated carbon for the effective removal of industrial effluents

In this work, Sterculia foetida fruit shells were used for the preparation of activated carbon and utilized for the removal of industrial effluent methylene blue is described. The carbon materials were prepared by washing the shells with water, dried in sunlight and subjected to heating at 700 ​°C in a muffle furnace to get the carbon material. This is divided into three portions, one is used as pristine and two portions were subjected to physical activation using steam and chemical activation using K₂CO₃. The impurities were removed by treatment with NaOH (0.1 ​M) and subsequently with HCl (0.1 M). Turbostatic structure was determined by XRD and the specific surface area was determined using BET showed 4, 1017 and 596 ​m²/g as the surface areas. Using these activated carbon materials, we have achieved 93% removal of methylene blue, found in industrial effluents.     

Preparation of non-spherical hollow carbon nanocapsules from nickel nanoprecursors

Hollow carbon nanocapsules (NCs) are prepared from nickel nanoplate precursors through carburizing, decomposition, and leaching steps. The carburizing step was carried out by heating the nickel nanoplates in oleylamine at 250 °C for 4 h. Decomposition was then performed in a nitrogen atmosphere at 530 °C for 3 min. Characterization of the resulting product of the first two steps shows the intermediates to be Ni₃C/Ni–C alloy and Ni/C core–shell nanostructures. Hollow carbon NCs are recovered from the products by leaching the Ni/C core–shell nanostructures in concentrated nitric acid. The NCs are found to have a high specific surface area (1081 m² g⁻¹) and a mesoporous structure (i.e., a pore volume of 2.81 cm³/g and a narrow pore size distribution of 2.9–3.4 nm). In addition, it is found that the hollow carbon NCs retained the same morphology as the original nickel precursors; demonstrating the robustness of the nickel templates and the ability of the carbon shells to maintain a non-spherical shape.     

Catalytic pyrolysis of Phragmites (reed): Investigation of its potential as a biomass feedstock

In this paper, thermogravimetry, TG, and pyrolysis are used for the thermochemical evaluation of the common reed (Pragmites australis) as a candidate biomass feedstock. The TG analysis indicated that the material loses 4% of its weight below 150 °C through dehydration. The main decomposition reaction occurs between 200 and 390 °C. The rate of weight loss, represented by the derivative thermogravimetric, DTG, signal indicated a multi-step reaction. Kinetic analysis helped in the resolution of the temperature ranges of the overlapping steps. The first step corresponds to the degradation of the hemi-cellulosic fraction and the second to the cellulosic fraction degradation. The TG and DTG signals of reed samples treated with increasing concentration of potassium carbonate (0.6–10 wt%) indicated a catalytic effect of the salt on reed decomposition. The temperature of maximum weight loss rate, DTGmax, exponentially decreased with increasing catalyst content, whilst the initial temperature of the decomposition decreased linearly. The pyrolysis studies were carried out in a Pyrex vertical reactor with sintered glass disc to hold the sample and to aid the fluidization with the nitrogen stream flowing upwards. The reactor was connected to a cyclone and condenser and a gas sampling device. Tar and char are collected and weighed. The gas chromatographic analysis of the evolved gases demonstrated the effect of pyrolysis temperature (400, 450, and 500 °C) on their composition. The temperature increase favors the yields of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and hydrogen at the expense of methanol and carbon dioxide. Similarly, reed samples treated with K2CO3 at 10 wt% were pyrolyzed and analyzed. Comparisons for the various parameters (yields, gas composition and carbon–hydrogen recovery) between the untreated and catalyzed reed conversion were also made.     

Kinetic study of low-temperature conversion of plastic mixtures to value added products

Batch-mode pyrolysis of 200.0 g samples of polymers was studied at low temperature. The cracking reaction was carried out in a stainless-steel autoclave with reaction temperatures of 360, 380, 400 and 420 °C, initial pressure of 6.325 kPa (absolute pressure) and reaction times of 0–240 min. Based on the experimental results, a four-lump kinetic model has been developed to describe the production distribution of the light fractions, middle distillates and heavy fraction. This model reasonably fitted the results in each reaction of operation conditions. It was also found that the pyrolysis kinetics of separated plastic, mixed plastic and mixed plastic containing additives can be described by the same kinetic model. The plastic additives have not had a great influence on the product distribution and kinetics of the mixed plastic pyrolysis. Finally, the optimum conditions of low-temperature conversion of plastic mixtures to value-added products were established. The formation of heavy fractions from HDPE was as high as 70 wt% at 380 °C at a reaction time of 250 min. During the thermal degradation of plastic mixtures, the heavy fractions yielded up 50 wt% for 30 min reaction time at 400 °C. The total activation energies for the conversion of HDPE and the plastic mixtures were estimated to be 217.66 kJ mol⁻¹ and 178.49 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively.     

The effect of different substrate temperatures on the structure and luminescence properties of Y2O3:Bi3+ thin films

Y₂O₃:Bi³⁺ phosphor thin films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition in the presence of oxygen (O₂) gas. The microstructure and photoluminescence (PL) of these films were found to be highly dependent on the substrate temperature. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the Y₂O₃:Bi³⁺ films transformed from amorphous to cubic and monoclinic phases when the substrate temperature was increased up to 600 °C. At the higher substrate temperature of 600 °C, the cubic phase became dominant. The crystallinity of the thin films, therefore, increased with increasing substrate temperatures. Surface morphology results obtained by atomic force microscopy showed a decrease in the surface roughness with an increase in substrate temperature. The increase in the PL intensities was attributed to the crystallinity improvement and surface roughness decrease. The main PL emission peak position of the thin films prepared at substrate temperatures of 450 °C and 600 °C showed a shift to shorter wavelengths of 460 and 480 nm respectively, if compared to the main PL peak position of the powder at 495 nm. The shift was attributed to a different Bi³⁺ ion environment in the monoclinic and cubic phases.     

Thermal decomposition of metal methanesulfonates in air

The thermal decompositions of dehydrated or anhydrous bivalent transition metal (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd) and alkali rare metal (Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) methanesulfonates were studied by TG/DTG, IR and XRD techniques in dynamic Air at 250–850 °C. The initial decomposition temperatures were calculated from TG curves for each compound, which show the onsets of mass loss of methanesulfonates were above 400 °C. For transition metal methanesulfonates, the pyrolysis products at 850 °C were metal oxides. For alkali rare metal methanesulfonates, the pyrolysis products at 850 °C of Sr and Ba methanesulfonates were sulphates, while those of Mg and Ca methanesulfonate were mixtures of sulphate and oxide.