Effect of holding time during pyrolysis on thermochemical and physical properties of biochars derived from goat manure

The utilization of animal manure for biochar production has received much attention mainly due to the global warming and crop production. In this work, goat manure (GM) was evaluated as a potential feedstock for preparing biochars. Its thermochemical characterization was first investigated by the proximate analysis and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), showing that the biomass obviously comprises a large percentage of lignocellulosic constituents. A series of pyrolysis experiments were conducted to produce biochars from dried GM at different holding times (0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 min) during the pyrolysis of 500 degrees C. To evaluate their potential for energy use and soil ameliorant, the resulting biochars were subject to the analyses of chemical and physical properties, including proximate analysis, calorific value, pore property (surface area and pore volume) and true density. The results showed that holding time is a less important process parameter influencing the characterization of goat-manure-derived biochars.