USA

antria Industries LLC has officially opened an industrial-scale biochar production facility in Dunlap, Tenn., after weeks of testing and a smooth “first burning.”

The company has been working for the past eight months to develop biorefineries that transform biomass waste into biochar through a pressurized partially pyrolytic gasification system.

A standard process system consists of two 3.5-ton autoclave (reactor) units, which are pressurized and sealed once the biomass is loaded into canisters and placed inside. Electric heaters are turned on to ignite the feedstock then turned off, and the autoclave temperature is controlled by a dual-draft process. Under elevated pressure and heat, the feedstock will begin to carbonize at specific temperatures, ranging from 400 to 800 degrees Celsius (750 to 1,470 degrees Fahrenheit). During carbonization, gases from the process are pumped through catalysts, broken down into simpler compounds and sent through filters to scrub them. When the 25- to-40-minute process is complete, the biochar is set in a cooling pool for 24 hours.

Alternatives to Methyl Bromide in Southern Forest Tree Nurseries
Clark W. Lantz, 1Nursery/Tree Improvement Specialist, Cooperative Forestry, USDA Forest Service, Atlanta, GA, 1997

Forest tree nurseries in the southern US are growing an average of 1.2 billion seedlings per year or about 80% of
the total seedling production in the US. This annual nursery production supports a planting program of
approximately 1.8 million acres-an area about the size of the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined.
Fumigation is practiced by 89% of these nurseries for both disease and weed control. The chemical of choice has
been methyl bromide, applied every year by some nursery managers and every second year by others.

Country: 

Bone Charcoal in Soil Enhancement Applications
Ebonex Corporation, www.ebonex.com,. Michigan, USA

Bone Charcoal Fines are derived from the manufacture of New Animal Charcoal - a carbonaceous adsorbent widely used in the Sugar Refining and Water Treatment Industries. The product is manufactured from selected grades of cattle bone carbonized at temperatures between 700oC and 1000oC for a total period of around 12 hours. Hence, the final product is virtually sterile, suitable and, indeed, safe for use in food industry applications.

Country: 

Biodegradation of Charcoal Production Wastes
USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program, Toxics Program Remediation Activities

Kingsford, Michigan

Contaminants

* Waste Waters (Pyroligneous Acid)
* Hydrocarbons (Creosote and Tar)

Description

Country: 

Pages

Subscribe to USA