The Effect of Pyrolysis Temperature on the Characteristics of Fodder Beet Biochar

The soils of desert areas are mostly low in organic matter and may fluctuate greatly in terms of acidity. Biochars are one of the materials used to improve and modify some soil characteristics. This compound is very resistant to decomposition and remains in the soil for a longer period, reducing agricultural waste and turning it into a soil conditioner. This leads to keeping carbon in the soil, increasing food security, increasing biodiversity, and reducing deforestation. In this research, an attempt was made to investigate the biochar of fodder beet plant waste produced at different pyrolysis temperatures and its physical and chemical characteristics. For this purpose, fodder beet wastes were collected from settlements around Birjand and after being crushed and air-dried, they were pyrolyzed in an electric furnace under limited oxygen conditions at a temperature range of 300-700 degrees Celsius. Then, the characteristics of the produced biochars were performed with 3 repetitions of measurements and statistical analyses with SPSS software. The results of this research showed that the characteristics of biochars changed significantly with temperature change. The highest yield percentage (59%), organic carbon (56.33%), total nitrogen (0.53%), water retention (0.84g/g) at 300 and 400 degrees Celsius, and the highest amount of ash (% 76), acidity (8.21) and electrical conductivity (0.1ds/cm) was obtained at a temperature of 700 degrees Celsius. The percentage of carbon and the efficiency of biochar produced at temperatures of 300 and 400 degrees Celsius were higher than other biochar produced at other temperatures. Biochar produced at 300°C has better characteristics in terms of carbon percentage and acidity efficiency compared to biochar produced at 400°C. Although these differences were not statistically significant, due to biochar production being more economical in terms of energy consumption, it is recommended to produce biochar at a temperature of 300 degrees Celsius.