Pyrolysis of plant, animal and human waste: Physical and chemical characterization of the pyrolytic products

Yoshiyuki Shinogi, Yutaka Kanri

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

224 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Pyrolysis (carbonization) has been proposed as one of several optional technologies for disposing and recycling waste products in Japan. Plant wastes (sugarcane bagasse and rice husks), animal waste (cow biosolids) and human waste (treated municipal sludge) were pyrolyzed at temperatures from 250-800°C in closed containers. The carbonized materials were evaluated for specific physical properties (yield, surface area, density) and specific chemical properties (total carbon, total nitrogen, pH, fixed carbon, ash content, volatility) in order to compare differences in properties among the four waste products. The results indicated that (1) surface area, total carbon, ash content and pH increased as the carbonization temperature increased, while carbonization yield decreased with increasing temperature, (2) product density however was not affected by temperature and (3) correlation coefficients were determined among the physical and chemical properties and several significant correlations were observed. The data indicate that source material had considerable influence on the physical and chemical properties of the carbonized products.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)241-247
Number of pages7
JournalBioresource Technology
Volume90
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2003
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Bioengineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
  • Waste Management and Disposal

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