A CRITICAL COMPARISON OF THE QUALITY OF BIOCHAR SUITABLE FOR PYROMETALLURGICAL PROCESSES

Carbon footprint has, for decades, become a centre of research regarding environmental threats that the world still faces. The impact of pyrometallurgical processes on the environment has played and still plays a role in the climate change. This is observed through different events that affect nature and the universe. Reduction processes have largely contributed to carbon emissions; hence researchers have embarked on researching new reductants. Biomass has recently been the centre of numerous tests. Many biochars have shown potential to replace the generic coke used for centuries. It is therefore of great importance to categorise biomass that might be used for reduction, adsorption, or energy generation. This paper develops a critical comparison of different biomass for pyrometallurgical use and essentially for reduction. Amongst the prospective biochars compared in this paper are namely Palm Kernel Shells biochar, coconut biochar, sugarcane biochar, macadamia biochar and malt waste biochar. All biochars were produced through pyrolysis in an alumina tube furnace under argon. Ultimate and proximate analyses were used to characterise the raw biomass and the generated biochars. Results have shown that although all biochars show high fixed carbon content, some may require reconditioning to be usable in furnaces through agglomeration.