A Study on the Carbonization Characteristics of Citrus Pomace for Biochar Production

This study investigated the pyrolytic conversion of citrus pomace into biochar, aiming to establish optimal conditions for its production and evaluate its physico-chemical properties.Carbonization was conducted at temperatures ranging from 350 to 550C and residence times varying from 10 to 120 min.The effects of carbonization conditions on biochar yield, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and elemental composition ratios were systematically investigated.Results revealed that increasing the carbonization temperature and residence time decreased the biochar yield but increased the biochar pH and carbon (C) content.Elemental analysis revealed that as carbonization progressed, the C content increased while the hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) contents decreased, lowering the H/C and O/C molar ratios.To address the inherently low yield and quality of citrus-pomace-derived biochar, co-pyrolysis with lignin-rich fallen leaves was explored.Increasing the proportion of fallen leaves enhanced the overall biochar yield while reducing the pH and EC of the resulting biochar.