Thermochemical processing of agricultural waste into biochar with potential application for coal mining degraded soils
This study presents a comprehensive physicochemical characterization of biochar obtained from sorghum, soybean, and corn residues (stems and leaves) grown on degraded soils in Romania's coal mining region, through pyrolysis and gasification processes at 700 °C - 1000 °C. The investigation revea...
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| Format: | Article |
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Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Results in Engineering |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025015671 |
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| author | Antoaneta Roman Felicia Bucura Oana Romina Botoran Gabriel-Lucian Radu Violeta-Carolina Niculescu Amalia Soare Daniela Ion-Ebrasu Irina Vagner Emilia-Cornelia Dunca Claudia Șandru Marius Constantinescu |
| author_facet | Antoaneta Roman Felicia Bucura Oana Romina Botoran Gabriel-Lucian Radu Violeta-Carolina Niculescu Amalia Soare Daniela Ion-Ebrasu Irina Vagner Emilia-Cornelia Dunca Claudia Șandru Marius Constantinescu |
| author_sort | Antoaneta Roman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study presents a comprehensive physicochemical characterization of biochar obtained from sorghum, soybean, and corn residues (stems and leaves) grown on degraded soils in Romania's coal mining region, through pyrolysis and gasification processes at 700 °C - 1000 °C. The investigation revealed that corn-derived biochars exhibited the highest carbon content (up to 41 wt. %) and potassium concentrations, supporting superior chemical stability, while soybean-derived biochars showed highly alkaline profiles (pH up to 11.7) due to elevated Ca and Mg levels, making them ideal candidates for ameliorating acidic soils. Sorghum-derived biochar demonstrated a high lignin-based aromatic structure and porosity beneficial for improving soil structure. Thermogravimetric analysis established a direct correlation between process temperature and mass loss behavior, confirming greater structural densification at higher temperatures. FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy showed progressive deoxygenation and condensation of aromatic structures, with an average ID/IG ratio of 0.856 and crystallite size (La) reaching 14.63 nm. Nitrogen adsorption analysis confirmed the development of micro- and mesoporosity, with specific surface areas up to 285.23 m²/g for corn biochar at 800 °C, highlighting its potential suitability for nutrient retention and water management. The H/C atomic ratio (0.08 - 0.31) indicated advanced carbonization stages, and Van Krevelen analysis predicted half-lives exceeding 100 to over 1000 years for the most stable biochars. These findings provide theoretical insights into optimizing biochar production from energy crops specifically grown on degraded soils, aiming to enhance soil resilience, carbon sequestration, and environmental remediation, thus offering a sustainable strategy aligned with phytoremediation and climate mitigation objectives, without performing field testing. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9560ee0a3adc4e149f722f0beb5f0e2b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2590-1230 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Results in Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-9560ee0a3adc4e149f722f0beb5f0e2b2025-08-20T02:04:43ZengElsevierResults in Engineering2590-12302025-06-012610549710.1016/j.rineng.2025.105497Thermochemical processing of agricultural waste into biochar with potential application for coal mining degraded soilsAntoaneta Roman0Felicia Bucura1Oana Romina Botoran2Gabriel-Lucian Radu3Violeta-Carolina Niculescu4Amalia Soare5Daniela Ion-Ebrasu6Irina Vagner7Emilia-Cornelia Dunca8Claudia Șandru9Marius Constantinescu10National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies - ICSI Râmnicu Vâlcea, 4th Uzinei Street, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Vâlcea 240050, Romania; Doctoral School of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, U.N.S.T. Politehnica of Bucharest, Gheorghe Polizu Street 1-7, District 1, Bucharest 011061, RomaniaNational Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies - ICSI Râmnicu Vâlcea, 4th Uzinei Street, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Vâlcea 240050, RomaniaNational Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies - ICSI Râmnicu Vâlcea, 4th Uzinei Street, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Vâlcea 240050, RomaniaDoctoral School of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, U.N.S.T. Politehnica of Bucharest, Gheorghe Polizu Street 1-7, District 1, Bucharest 011061, Romania; National Institute of Biological Sciences, Centre of Bioanalysis, Splaiul Independentei 296, District 6, Bucharest 060031, RomaniaNational Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies - ICSI Râmnicu Vâlcea, 4th Uzinei Street, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Vâlcea 240050, RomaniaNational Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies - ICSI Râmnicu Vâlcea, 4th Uzinei Street, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Vâlcea 240050, RomaniaNational Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies - ICSI Râmnicu Vâlcea, 4th Uzinei Street, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Vâlcea 240050, RomaniaNational Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies - ICSI Râmnicu Vâlcea, 4th Uzinei Street, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Vâlcea 240050, RomaniaDepartment of Environmental Engineering and Geology, Faculty of Mine, University of Petroșani, Petroșani 332006, RomaniaNational Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies - ICSI Râmnicu Vâlcea, 4th Uzinei Street, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Vâlcea 240050, RomaniaNational Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies - ICSI Râmnicu Vâlcea, 4th Uzinei Street, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Vâlcea 240050, Romania; Corresponding author.This study presents a comprehensive physicochemical characterization of biochar obtained from sorghum, soybean, and corn residues (stems and leaves) grown on degraded soils in Romania's coal mining region, through pyrolysis and gasification processes at 700 °C - 1000 °C. The investigation revealed that corn-derived biochars exhibited the highest carbon content (up to 41 wt. %) and potassium concentrations, supporting superior chemical stability, while soybean-derived biochars showed highly alkaline profiles (pH up to 11.7) due to elevated Ca and Mg levels, making them ideal candidates for ameliorating acidic soils. Sorghum-derived biochar demonstrated a high lignin-based aromatic structure and porosity beneficial for improving soil structure. Thermogravimetric analysis established a direct correlation between process temperature and mass loss behavior, confirming greater structural densification at higher temperatures. FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy showed progressive deoxygenation and condensation of aromatic structures, with an average ID/IG ratio of 0.856 and crystallite size (La) reaching 14.63 nm. Nitrogen adsorption analysis confirmed the development of micro- and mesoporosity, with specific surface areas up to 285.23 m²/g for corn biochar at 800 °C, highlighting its potential suitability for nutrient retention and water management. The H/C atomic ratio (0.08 - 0.31) indicated advanced carbonization stages, and Van Krevelen analysis predicted half-lives exceeding 100 to over 1000 years for the most stable biochars. These findings provide theoretical insights into optimizing biochar production from energy crops specifically grown on degraded soils, aiming to enhance soil resilience, carbon sequestration, and environmental remediation, thus offering a sustainable strategy aligned with phytoremediation and climate mitigation objectives, without performing field testing.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025015671BiocharSoil remediationChemical characterizationStructural characterizationVan Krevelen diagram |
| spellingShingle | Antoaneta Roman Felicia Bucura Oana Romina Botoran Gabriel-Lucian Radu Violeta-Carolina Niculescu Amalia Soare Daniela Ion-Ebrasu Irina Vagner Emilia-Cornelia Dunca Claudia Șandru Marius Constantinescu Thermochemical processing of agricultural waste into biochar with potential application for coal mining degraded soils Results in Engineering Biochar Soil remediation Chemical characterization Structural characterization Van Krevelen diagram |
| title | Thermochemical processing of agricultural waste into biochar with potential application for coal mining degraded soils |
| title_full | Thermochemical processing of agricultural waste into biochar with potential application for coal mining degraded soils |
| title_fullStr | Thermochemical processing of agricultural waste into biochar with potential application for coal mining degraded soils |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thermochemical processing of agricultural waste into biochar with potential application for coal mining degraded soils |
| title_short | Thermochemical processing of agricultural waste into biochar with potential application for coal mining degraded soils |
| title_sort | thermochemical processing of agricultural waste into biochar with potential application for coal mining degraded soils |
| topic | Biochar Soil remediation Chemical characterization Structural characterization Van Krevelen diagram |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025015671 |
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