LAUSR

The burning of crop residue results in numerous environmental issues and also affects human beings. Crop residue has the potential to produce considerable energy and can be converted into biochar via thermochemical routes; this conversion helps in the management and handling of biomass. This study deals with the development of a system for the continuous production of biochar by carbonization of groundnut shells at different temperatures. The developed system is capable of converting different kinds of crop residue into biochar. The carbonization chamber was heated using an industrial burner, and its thermal performance was elevated at 400, 450, and 500 °C using groundnut shell as feedstock, and the amount of time the feedstock resided in the burner was limited to 4 min. The mass yields and heating value of the produced biochar were found to be highest at 400 °C. Therefore, the crop residue converted into biochar and the chemical properties were assessed for this temperature. Biochar conversion efficiency was recorded at about 30%. The oxygen-to-carbon (O:C) and hydrogen-to-carbon (H:C) ratios were found to be 0.08 and 0.40 respectively. The energy required to produce 1 kg of biochar ranged from 3.70 to 4.64 MJ. The benefit-cost ratio and a payback period of the developed system were calculated to be about 1.94 and 11 months, respectively. The internal rate of return was estimated at about 121%. In the present study, the impact of carbonization upon the composition of lignocelluloses and its thermal behavior was also assessed with the help of a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA).