Energy properties of agricultural biomass after the pyrolysis

Abstract

At the beginning and during the development of civilization, natural sources were the only available source of energy. With the development of society and industry, they were replaced by intensive use of fossil fuels. Non-renewability and negative impact on the environment called into question the rationality of using such sources. Therefore, natural sources of energy are becoming more and more important, especially biomass, which is becoming an important source of energy due to its ecological advantages. There are numerous ways to convert agricultural biomass into different forms of biofuel. Thermochemical conversion includes a process of pyrolysis in which, under the influence of a high temperature of 400 to 600 °C without the presence of oxygen, very valuable products are obtained in the form of biochar. The aim of this research is to evaluate the energy properties of agricultural biomass (corn, wheat, barley, oats, triticale, rye, soybeans, rapeseed and sunflower) by thermochemical conversion by pyrolysis and analysis of biochar for the evaluation of value-added products and to suggest its application. The mentioned raw materials are characterized by significant pyrolytic conversion potential, i.e. biochar production ranged from 30.03% to 47.0%. Similarly, the heating value (HHV) of biochar after the pyrolysis process increased to 27.11 MJ/kg, which proves that agricultural biomass is a good source of energy per unit mass.