The Effect of Biomass Species and Pyrolysis Method on Biocarbon Briquette Suitability for Submerged Arc Furnace

Understanding the suitability of various raw materials for biocarbon briquettes under industrially relevant conditions is essential to replace coke in metallurgical applications. Additionally, a deeper understanding of how different pyrolysis methods affect biocarbon briquette properties is required. In this study, biocarbon briquettes were produced using four different raw materials: garden waste, demolition wood, hemp, and lignin. The briquettes were subjected to two pyrolysis methods, conventional and segmented, both carried out at a final pyrolysis temperature of 600 °C. Key properties including compressive strength, electrical conductivity, and porosity were evaluated. Carbon conversions were assessed at 1100 °C in a mixture of CO/CO 2 gases. The results show that both the choice of raw material and the pyrolysis method significantly influenced briquette performance. Among the raw materials studied, lignin-based biocarbon briquettes showed similar carbon conversion rates to coke, the final conversions after 15 min being 20% and 15% for biocarbon and coke, respectively. On the other hand, using segmented pyrolysis decreased the carbon conversion rate by 4.5% on average compared to conventional pyrolysis. The average compressive strength of the briquettes varied from 12.9 to 31.1 MPa, being similar to coke. Based on the results, the reactivity of biocarbon was successfully modified without compromising the mechanical properties of the biocarbon briquette.