Pyrolysis system to obtain carbonaceous material from rice husk used as a precursor

Abstract

We present the development and validation of a pyrolysis system with a controlled nitrogen atmosphere for the production of carbonaceous materials from biomass elements. Our objective was to use rice husk as a precursor to produce carbonaceous material and explore its application in different technological fields. In Colombia, over 800.000 tons of rice are produced every six months by the leading producing regions such as the Orinoquia region and the provinces of Tolima and Huila, among others. This system provides the opportunity to use agro-industrial waste such as rice husk, an environmental contaminator, and convert it into a useful and value-added material for the development of science and technology in emerging technological fields. Analyses performed using electron scanning microscopy (SEM) have shown that the synthesized material is a porous carbonaceous substance composed of irregular fibers with a hollow internal structure between 5 and 30 μm in size. The Raman spectra show a vibrational response of graphene oxide (GO) multilayer type. These results suggest the GO derived from rice husk can be a candidate for the development of applications in technological areas such as flexible electronic devices and systems, sensors, batteries, supercapacitors for energy storage, and bioremediation systems, among other technological applications.