Pore and Thermochemical Properties of Biochar Materials Produced from Moso Bamboo Under Different Carbonization Conditions.

Abstract

In this study, moso bamboo (<i>Phyllostachys edulis</i>, PE) was pyrolyzed in a high-temperature carbonization furnace to produce porous biochar materials with high carbon contents under different carbonization temperatures (500, 600, 700, 800, and 900 °C) and heating rates (10 and 20 °C/min). Preliminary characterization of the PE precursor was conducted to evaluate its thermochemical properties, including proximate analysis, elemental analysis, and thermal decomposition behavior. The results indicated that PE biomass is a suitable precursor for biochar production at temperatures above 400 °C, owing to its low ash content (<1%) and high volatile matter (>80%). The pore structure and thermochemical properties of PE-derived biochars were found to improve with increasing carbonization temperature. Optimal pore characteristics were achieved at 800 °C with a heating rate of 10 °C/min, resulting in a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of 496 m²/g and a total pore volume of 0.18 cm³/g. In contrast, biochars produced at a heating rate of 20 °C/min exhibited significantly higher carbon contents (90.7-95.7%) compared with those obtained at 10 °C/min (75.4-89.0%). This phenomenon was attributed to enhanced carbon volatilization associated with the longer residence time during slower heating. Observations from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were consistent with the development of porous structures in the PE-based biochars.