Advanced thermo-chemical treatment of waste Bambusa Vulgaris for sustainable resource recovery

Abstract

Bambusa Vulgaris or Bamboo is one of the rapidly growing woody plants among different species and is not being utilized properly around the world. Hence, the utilization of bamboo for sustainable resource recovery is required to avoid deforestation. This study is focused on thermo-chemical treatment of bamboo waste to investigate the physico-chemical properties of generated products. Experiments were carried out in semi batch, four zone electrically heated, rotary kiln reactor, with reaction time of 90 minutes and heating rate of 25 °C/min, for yield optimization. Products were analyzed through TGA, XRF, SEM/EDS, GCMS and FTIR. From the GCMS study, it was found that the bio-oil obtained through thermo-chemical treatment, contains high amount of alcohols, aldehydes, ketone and phenolic compounds. XRF of biochar showed 11 % inorganic components, among them K and Ca were found to be the major elements. XRF and EDS results were in good agreement and confirmed high carbon content. Biochar had the calorific value of 30.97 MJ/kg, which makes it suitable as energy source for commercial applications. Biochar contained carbonyl (C=O), hydroxyl (HO-), and carboxyl (HOOC) groups, which are responsible for ion exchange reactions during soil amendment. Low ash and high carbon content along with high porosity promotes its usage as high value material in different non-agricultural applications. Additionally, high amount of carbon is beneficial for maximizing the carbon storage and making the process environmentally sustainable.