[Gasification] PYROLISIS OF BIOMASS

[Kevin C]

Dear Manuel

Quoting MANUEL BARBA <manuelbarba1952 at hotmail.com>:

>  SIRS
> MAY BE SOMEBODY MAY AWSWER FOLLOW QUESTIONS:
> 1.-ABOUT PYROLISIS OF BIOMASS,

# Lets assume that the charcoal is being made in a sealed Retort, with  
external heating.
> *TAR ARE SAME DEFINITION OF VOLATILE GAS WHEN BIOMASS IS USED LIKE FUEL

# The "Pyrolysis Gas" coming off the retort is actually a mixture of  
solids (char particles and ash, liquid products (heavy and light tars,  
methanol, water vapor, methanol vapor, etc), and non-condensible  
gases, (CO, CO2, N, CH4)

> *CHAR IS THE SOLID WASTE AFTER  PYROLISIS?

# The Char remaining after pyrolysis is a combination of pure  
charcoal, residual high temperature chars that did not leave the  
retort with the pyrolysis gases, and ash.

> *BIOCHAR   ARE SOLID RESIDUES FROM PYROLISIS AND ARE SAME OF SOLID   
> WASTE INCLUIDING ASH AND IT CAN BE USED AS A ORGANIC ENHANCE OF SOIL  
> CALLED   THE "TERRA PRETTA"

# The solids remaining after pyrolysis are generally termed  
"charcoal." It has many uses, for example, as a fuel, for medicinal  
purposes, for adsorption of gases and liquids, and for use as a "soil  
improving agent." When such charcoal is sequestered, such as being  
dumped down a mine shaft, or when mixed with the soil, the carbon  
content is mostly removed from teh Biosphere, and the overal  
consequence is that CO2 is removed from the atmosphere.

# When Charcoal is added to the soil for the purpose of improving  
"soil function", it is being used as it was used to produce Terra  
Preta soils, and it can be termed "Biochar". However, charcoal is NOT  
Terra Preta... it is one ingredients of Terra Preta. Simply adding  
only charcoal to a marginal soil probably will not result in an  
"agricultural improvement", in that the charcoal will tend to hold on  
to some of the available nutrients, making them unavailable for plant  
growth.

# Note that teh ash components of Biochar can be very beneficial to  
some soils, by raising the pH to a level appropriate for the crop  
being grown. On teh other hand, "High Ash Biochars" could be harmful  
to "good soils" if the pH is raised to an undesirable level.

On teh overall, Biochar additions can be beneficial, if they bring to  
the soil a property that the soil requires.

Best wishes,

Kevin


> THANKS
>