Biochar Production Technology

Robert C. Brown
Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Iowa State University
 Purported Properties of Biochar
• High soil organic matter
• Enhanced cation exchange capacity (nutrient 
holding capacity)
• Improved water retention
• Beneficial soil microbial activity
• Enhanced fertility
• Stable (“aromatic”) carbon structure
 Greenhouse gases reduction by
carbon storage in agricultural soils
2000
Carbon Stored (lb/acre/yr)

1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Pyrolytic Char No-Till Switchgrass No-Till Corn Plow-Tilled Corn

Char from pyrolyzing one-half of corn stover

Traditional Charcoal Making
Pit kiln Mound kiln 
Traditional Charcoal Making
Brick kiln  TPI* transportable 
metal kiln 

*Tropical Products Institute
 Traditional Charcoal Making
Missouri‐type  Continuous multiple
charcoal kiln  hearth kiln 
Charcoal yields (dry weight basis) for 
different kinds of batch kilns
Kiln Type Charcoal Yield*
(%)
Pit 12.5-30
Mound 2-42
Brick 12.5-33
Portable Steel (TPI) 18.9-31.4
Concrete (Missouri) 33
*ηchar = (mchar/mbio) x100
Kammen, D. M., and Lew, D. J. (2005) Review of technologies for the production and use of
charcoal, Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory, Berkeley University, March 1,
http://rael.berkeley.edu/files/2005/Kammen-Lew-Charcoal-2005.pdf, accessed November 17, 2007.
 Charcoal Yield Corrected for Ash 
Content of Biomass
Charcoal yield on the basis of ash‐free organic mass into ash‐
free carbon is calculated according to:
ηfc = (mchar/mbio)[cfc/(1‐ba)] x 100
where:
mchar = dry mass of charcoal from the kiln
mbio = dry mass of biomass loaded into the kiln
cfc = fixed C content of biochar as measured by 
ASTM Standard D 1762‐84 
ba = ash content of the dry biomass
A perfect kiln would have fixed‐C yield equal to the solid C 
yield predicted by thermodynamic equilibrium.  For example, 
the pyrolysis of cellulose at 400° C and 1 MPa should have a 
fixed‐C yield of 27.7%.  
 Air emissions per kilogram biomass 
from different kinds of charcoal kilns
CO CH4 NMHC1 TSP2
(g kg-1) (g kg-1) (g kg-1) (g kg-1)
Uncontrolled 160-179 44-57 7-60 197-598
batch
Low control 24-27 6.6-8.6 1-9 27-89
batch
Controlled 8.0-8.9 2.2-2.9 0.4-3.0 9.1-30
continuous
1 NMHC – non‐methane hydrocarbons (includes recoverable methanol 
and acetic acid)
2 TSP – total suspended particulates

Shafizadeh, Fred, 1982, Chemistry of pyrolysis and combustion of wood, in Sarkanen, K.V.,
Tillman, D.A., and Jahns, E.C., eds., Progress in biomass conversion: London, Academic Press,
p. 51–76.
 Typical product yields (dry basis) for 
different modes of pyrolysis
Mode Conditions Liquid Char Gas
Fast Moderate temperature ~ 500°C 75% 12% 13%
short vapor residence time ~ 1 s
Moderate moderate temperature ~ 500°C 50% 20% 30%
moderate vapor residence time ~
10-20 s
Slow moderate temperature ~ 500°C 30% 35% 35%
very long vapor residence time ~ 5-
30 min
Gasification high temperature > 750°C 5% 10% 85%
moderate vapor residence time ~
10-20 s
Thermogravimetric analysis of the 
pyrolysis of plant components

Constant heating rate (10° C/min) with N (99.9995%) sweep gas at 120 ml/min
Yang, H., Yan, R., Chen, H., Lee, D. H., and Zheng, C. (2007) Characteristics of hemicellulose,
cellulose and lignin pyrolysis Fuel 86, 1781-1788.
 Reaction pathways for cellulose 
decomposition

Mok, W. S. L.; Antal, M. J. Effects of Pressure on Biomass Pyrolysis. II. Heats of

Reaction of Cellulose Pyrolysis. Thermochim. Acta 1983, 68, 165.
Effect of reaction pressure and diluent
gas flow on char production
endothermic

exothermic

Mok, W. S. L.; Antal, M. J. Effects of Pressure on Biomass Pyrolysis. II. Heats of

Reaction of Cellulose Pyrolysis. Thermochim. Acta 1983, 68, 165.
Secondary Charcoal Generation
Some specific goals for advanced
biochar manufacture
• Continuous feed pyrolyzers to improve energy 
efficiency and reduce pollution emissions associated 
with batch kilns
• Exothermic operation without air infiltration to 
improve energy efficiency and biochar yields
• Recovery of co‐products to reduce pollution emissions 
and improve process economics
• Control of operating conditions to improve biochar 
properties and allow changes in co‐product yields
• Feedstock flexibility allowing both woody and 
herbaceous biomass to be converted to biochar
Concepts for Advanced Charcoal Kilns
• Slow pyrolyzers (drum pyrolyzer, rotary kiln)
• Flash carbonizer
• Fast pyrolyzers (fluid bed, screw reactor, 
entrained)
• Biomass gasifiers (fluid bed, downdraft)
• Hydrothermal processing reactors
• Wood‐gas stoves
Preliminary Studies to Compare Chars 
from Different Thermal Processes

Process Air filtration Heat Source Temperature Time

Slow  None External 500 C 30 minutes
pyrolysis
Fast  None External 500 C Few seconds
pyrolysis
Gasification 20% equivalence  Combustion of  750 C Few minutes
ratio infiltrated air
 Scanning Electron Micrographs
Switchgrass Feedstock Fast Pyrolysis Char

Slow Pyrolysis Char Gasification Char
 Effect of Feedstock and Thermal 
Process on Char Properties
Feedstock Process Higher Heating Value  BET Surface Area 
(kJ/kg) (m2/g)
Corn Stover Slow Pyrolysis 21,596 4.1
Switchgrass Slow Pyrolysis 12,799 22.8
Corn Stover Fast Pyrolysis 13,833 4.5
Switchgrass Fast Pyrolysis 16,337 17.7
Corn Stover Gasification 15,290 43.6
Switchgrass Gasification 15,864 39.2
 Fourier Transform Spectra of 
Feedstock and Resulting Chars
C orn S tover F eedstock & C har

C orn S to v er F ee d stoc k
Arbitrary Units

S low P yro lysis C h ar

F a st P yro lysis C h ar

G asific atio n C ha r

4 00 0 30 00 20 00 10 0 0

W a ve n u m b e r (cm -1 )
Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) of Chars
Feedstock Process Reactor type CEC (cmol/kg)
Corn stover Fast pyrolysis PDU fluidized bed 29.89
Switchgrass  Fast pyrolysis PDU fluidized bed 16.3
Loblolly pine Fast pyrolysis Lab scale fluidized bed 14.21
Corn stover Fast pyrolysis Lab scale free fall reactor 12.23
Switchgrass  Gasification  PDU fluidized bed 11.34
Corn stover  Gasification (cyclone 1)  PDU fluidized bed 31.4
Corn stover Gasification (cyclone 2)  PDU fluidized bed 17.21
Hardwood  Slow pyrolysis Lab scale fixed bed 19.04

Switchgrass  Slow pyrolysis Lab scale fixed bed 12.35

Woodwaste Gasification Large pilot‐scale 12.11

Used modified Compulsive Exchange Method (Gilman & Sumpter 1986, Laird & Fleming 2008)
 Conclusions
• Traditional charcoal kilns are unsuitable for 
biochar production (too inefficient and 
polluting)
• Modern processes will produce several co‐
products (biochar, bio‐oil, syngas)
• Opportunities for controlling yields of co‐
products and properties of biochars in an 
environmentally sustainable manner
 Acknowledgments
This presentation is based on a chapter to appear in the book 
“Biochar for Environmental Management: Science and 
Technology,” edited by Johannes Lehmann and Stephen Joseph, 
and to be published early next year by Earthscan Publishers Ltd.   
Some of the materials presented are the result of research 
performed by ISU graduate students Catie Brewer, Randy 
Kasparbauer, Cody Ellens, A.J. Sherwood Pollard, and Jared 
Brown and assisted by undergraduate students Hernan Trevino  
and Daniel Assmann.  Drs. Justinus Satrio and Sam Jones also 
contributed to this research.  Frontline Bioenergy provided some 
of the charcoal samples evaluated in this study.