Empty fruit bunch (EFB) char was used to remove NOx and odorous substances. The physicochemical properties of the EFB chars were altered by steam or KOH treatments. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area and porosity were measured to determine the properties of the modified EFB chars. The deNOx and adsorption test for hydrogen sulphide and acetaldehyde were performed to determine the feasibility of the modified EFB chars. The KOH-treated EFB (KEFB) char revealed higher deNOx efficiency than with commercial activated carbon. The Cu-impregnated EFB char also had high deNOx efficiency at temperatures higher than 150°C. The KEFB char showed the highest hydrogen sulphide and acetaldehyde adsorption ability, followed by the steam-treated EFB char and untreated EFB char. Moreover, the product prepared by sulfonation of EFB char showed excellent performance for esterification of palm fatty acid distillate for biodiesel production.

Biochar obtained from the thermal conversion of biomass has high potential as a substitute material for activated carbon and other carbon-based materials because it is economical, environmentally friendly, and carbon-neutral. The physicochemical properties of biochar can also be controlled by a range of activation methods such as physical, chemical, and hydrothermal treatments. Activated biochar can be used as a catalyst for the catalytic pyrolysis of a biomass and as an absorbent for the removal of heavy metal ions and atmospheric pollutants. The applications of biochar are also expanding not only as a key component in producing energy storage materials, such as supercapacitors, lithium ion batteries, and fuel cells, but also in carbon capture and storage. This paper reviews the recent progress on the activation of biochar and its diverse present and future applications.

As a replacement for activated carbon, biochar was synthesized and used for the adsorptive removal of formaldehyde and nitrogen oxide. Biochar was produced from the fast pyrolysis of the red marine macro alga, Pyropia tenera. The P. tenera char was then activated with steam, ammonia and KOH to alter its characteristics. The adsorption of formaldehyde, which is one of the main indoor air pollutants, onto the seaweed char was performed using 1-ppm formaldehyde and the char was activated using a range of methods. The char activated with both the KOH and ammonia treatments showed the highest adsorptive removal efficiency, followed by KOH-treated char, ammonia-treated char, steam-treated char, and non-activated char. The removal of 1000-ppm NO over untreated char, KOH-treated char, and activated carbon was also tested. While the untreated char exhibited little activity, the KOH-treated char removed 80% of the NO at 50°C, which was an even higher NO removal efficiency than that achieved by activated carbon.

Refuse-derived fuel (RDF) produced using municipal solid waste was pyrolyzed to produce RDF char. For the first time, the RDF char was used to remove aqueous copper, a representative heavy metal water pollutant. Activation of the RDF char using steam and KOH treatments was performed to change the specific surface area, pore volume, and the metal cation quantity of the char. N2 sorption, Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometer (ICP-AES), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize the char. The optimum pH for copper removal was shown to be 5.5, and the steam-treated char displayed the best copper removal capability. Ion exchange between copper ions and alkali/alkaline metal cations was the most important mechanism of copper removal by RDF char, followed by adsorption on functional groups existing on the char surface. The copper adsorption behavior was represented well by a pseudo-second-order kinetics model and the Langmuir isotherm. The maximum copper removal capacity was determined to be 38.17 mg/g, which is larger than those of other low-cost char adsorbents reported previously.

급속열분해 기술은 바이오매스를 수송용 연료와 고품질의 석유화학 생산물로 업그레이드 할 수 있는 바이오오일을 만드는 유망한 수단으로 주목 받고 있다. 이러한 기대에도 불구하고 연료와 석유 화학 생산물의 상업성은 바이오오일의 높고 잘 변하는 점도, 많은 수분과 산소 함량, 낮은 발열량 및 산 성도와 같은 상당히 바람직하지 않은 특징 때문에 한계가 있다. 그래서 본 연구는 가압증류를 통해 바 이오오일의 품질 개선을 목표로 수행하였다. 가압증류에 따른 바이오오일의 특성 변화를 알아보기 위하 여 0.8～1.4 mm 크기의 굴참나무(Quercus variabilis) 시료 600 g을 465℃에서 1.6초 동안 급속열분해 하여 바이오오일을 제조하고, 감압증류(100hPa) 온도는 대조구, 40℃, 50, 60, 70 및 80에서 각각 30분 간 처리하였다. 급속열분해를 통해 생산된 바이오오일, 바이오차 및 가스는 각각 62.6 wt%, 18.0 및 19.3으로 나타났다. 또한 온도별로 생성된 바이오오일은 수분함량 0.9∼26.1 wt%, 점도 4.2∼11.0 cSt, 발열량 3,893∼5,230 kcal/kg 및 pH 2.6∼3.0 수준으로 긍정적 효과가 나타났다. 이러한 바이오오일 품 질개선에도 불구하고 점도는 반대로 증가했으며 여전히 높은 산소 함량, 낮은 발열량 및 산성도 때문에 바이오오일을 실용적인 연료로 사용하기 위해서는 지속적으로 품질 개선이 필요하다.

리그닌은 두번째로 풍부한 바이오매스 구성성분이며 지구상에서 non-fossil organic carbon 중 약 30%를 차지한다고 알려져있다. 또한 coniferyl, coumaryl, sinapyl alcohol로 이루어져있는 리그닌은 자연에서 얻을 수 있는 우수한 aromatic resource로 연료나 chemicals을 생산할 수 있다. 특히 리그닌의 급속 열분해는 액체 연료를 가장 저렴한 가격으로 생산하는 기술로 평가받고 있지만, 리그닌을 급속열분해 할 때 plugging, char foaming등의 문제점이 생겨 연속적인 열분해 공정을 개발하는데 어려움이 있다. 이번연구는 이러한 문제점을 해결하기 위해 로타리 킬른형 반응기를 제작하여 실험을 진행하였다. 초기의 장치 구성은 저장장치. 투입장치, 열분해장치, 응축장치로 구성하였고, 원활한 리그닌 투입을 위해 반응기를 약 5°정도 기울여서 설치하였다. 리그닌의 종류에 따라 최적 열분해 조건을 알아보기 위해 유량, 온도, 투입속도 등에 변화를 주어 실험을 진행하였다. 또한 발생한 가스와 오일의 정확한 분석을 위해 GC와 GC/MS를 이용하여 각각 성분을 분석 할 것이다.