Abstract:
Effects of temperature and duration of pyrolysis on the microstructure, physical and chemical properties of biochar made from tobacco straws were studied. Pyrolysis at 300, 450, and 600 for 1 or 3 h to produce biochar were carried out for comparison. It was found that the resulting biochar was highly porous with a considerable specific surface area, and the structure remained largely that of the tobacco straws. As the pyrolytic time and temperature increased, the biochar increased on pH, organic carbon, total potassium and C/N ratio, while declined on output and total nitrogen. Conditions of the pyrolysis also significant affected the physical and chemical properties of the biochar, particularly, the temperature. Biochar for agriculture applications was a new venue to utilize tobacco straws. Nonetheless, the production cost, technology development, and on-site operation were some of the obstacles yet to be overcome before it could be feasibly applied for common practices.