The Potential Incorporation of Biochar into a Char-Water Fuel - Study of Chemical and Physical Properties

Biochar has the potential to be used for a wide range of applications. One of these includes utilisation as a char-water fuel, with the aim of substituting less sustainable fuels in the future. This paper reports the chemical and physical properties of biochar produced from sugarcane bagasse for use as a char-water fuel. Sugarcane bagasse was pre-treated with diammonium phosphate (DAP) and pyrolysed to increase the yield of biochar. An untreated sample of bagasse was also converted to biochar for comparison. The treated samples were formulated into char-water fuel and analysed for rheological behaviour. Viscosities were comparable to that reported for coal-water slurry fuels and, in some cases, other biological by-products (i.e. biooils), but were higher than diesel or gasoline. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and particle size distribution were conducted on the char samples and the energy content was measured using bomb calorimetry. The energy content of the char-water fuel would be similar to that of coal-water fuels if beneficiation of the biochar to remove ash components can be performed.