Adsorption characteristics and pore-development of biomass-pyrolysis char

Utilization of biomass-pyrolysis char for adsorption purposes is of bonus advantage and importance considering the ubiquitous need for a cheap source of carbon adsorbent for various small-scale industries for waste water treatment. Experimental studies were conducted in this context, to characterize the biomass-pyrolysis char to explain their specificity as conditioned by their individual adsorptive properties. The influence of ash elements was studied in detail; and a theory according with the various relevant literature is proposed for the interaction among the components-advocating that post-fusion pore-growth sustains the interaction among components that, in turn, influences the adsorption characteristics of biomass. A general correlation is further developed to explain the adsorption properties of char obtained from various treated and untreated biomass based upon (a) volatile yield and rate of pyrolysis, (b) average molecular weight of the products, and (c) the elemental H:C and O:C ratios. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.