Evaluation of Joint Management of Pine Wood Waste and Residual Microalgae for Agricultural Application

José Guillermo Rosas, Natalia Gómez, Jorge Cara-Jiménez, Judith González-Arias, Miguel Ángel Olego and Marta E. Sánchez
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José Guillermo Rosas: Chemical and Environmental Bioprocess Engineering Group, Natural Resources Institute (IRENA), Universidad de León, Av. de Portugal 41, 24009 León, Spain
Natalia Gómez: Chemical and Environmental Bioprocess Engineering Group, Natural Resources Institute (IRENA), Universidad de León, Av. de Portugal 41, 24009 León, Spain
Jorge Cara-Jiménez: Chemical and Environmental Bioprocess Engineering Group, Natural Resources Institute (IRENA), Universidad de León, Av. de Portugal 41, 24009 León, Spain
Judith González-Arias: Chemical and Environmental Bioprocess Engineering Group, Natural Resources Institute (IRENA), Universidad de León, Av. de Portugal 41, 24009 León, Spain
Miguel Ángel Olego: Research Institute of Vine and Wine, University of León, Av. de Portugal 41, 24009 León, Spain
Marta E. Sánchez: Chemical and Environmental Bioprocess Engineering Group, Natural Resources Institute (IRENA), Universidad de León, Av. de Portugal 41, 24009 León, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: This work addresses the joint management of residual microalgae and pine wood waste through pyrolysis to obtain a solid product for its use as soil amendment and two other by-products (liquid and gaseous) that can be used for energy purposes. Two management routes have been followed. The first route is through the co-pyrolysis of mixtures of both residual materials in several proportions and the later use of their solid fraction for soil amendment. The second route is the pyrolysis of pine wood waste and its direct combination with dried residual microalgae, also using it as soil amendment. The solid fraction assessment shows that from seven solid products (biochar) three stand out for their positive applicability in agriculture as soil amendment. In addition, they also present the benefit of serving as carbon sink, giving a negative balance of CO 2 emissions. However, caution is suggested due to biochar applicability being subject to soil characteristics. To ensure the sustainability of the overall process, the energy available in liquid and gaseous fractions has been assessed for covering the drying needs of the residual microalgae in both cases. These results suggest that the pyrolysis process is a sustainable way to manage specific evaluated residues and their products.

Keywords: microalgae; pyrolysis; pine wood waste; biochar; organic soil amendment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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