Turning Construction, Renovation, and Demolition (CRD) Wood Waste into Biochar: A Scalable and Sustainable Solution for Energy and Environmental Applications

Aravind Ganesan (), Simon Barnabé (), Younès Bareha, Simon Langlois, Olivier Rezazgui and Cyrine Boussabbeh
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Aravind Ganesan: Institut d’Innovations en Écomatériaux, Écoproduits et Écoénergies, Pavillon CIPP, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Boul. des Forges, Trois-Rivières, QC G8Z 4M3, Canada
Simon Barnabé: Institut d’Innovations en Écomatériaux, Écoproduits et Écoénergies, Pavillon CIPP, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Boul. des Forges, Trois-Rivières, QC G8Z 4M3, Canada
Younès Bareha: Institut d’Innovations en Écomatériaux, Écoproduits et Écoénergies, Pavillon CIPP, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Boul. des Forges, Trois-Rivières, QC G8Z 4M3, Canada
Simon Langlois: Innofibre—Centre d’Innovation des Produits Cellulosiques, 3351, Boul. des Forges C.P.97, Trois-Rivières, QC G9A 5E6, Canada
Olivier Rezazgui: Innofibre—Centre d’Innovation des Produits Cellulosiques, 3351, Boul. des Forges C.P.97, Trois-Rivières, QC G9A 5E6, Canada
Cyrine Boussabbeh: Innofibre—Centre d’Innovation des Produits Cellulosiques, 3351, Boul. des Forges C.P.97, Trois-Rivières, QC G9A 5E6, Canada

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 15, 1-39

Abstract: This study investigates the pyrolysis of construction, renovation, and demolition (CRD) wood waste to produce biochar, with a focus on its robustness, scalability, and characterization for energy and environmental applications. Pyrolysis conditions, including the temperature, biomass residence time (BRT), and feedstock mass, were varied to evaluate their effects on biochar properties. High-temperature biochars (B800) showed the highest fixed carbon (FC) (87%) and thermostable fraction (TSF) (96%) and the lowest volatile carbon (VC) (9%), with a high carbon content (92%), a large BET surface area (300 m 2 /g), and a high micropore volume (0.146 cm 3 /g). However, the hydrogen (0.9%) and oxygen (2.2%) content, Van-Krevelen parameters (H/C: 0.1; O/C: 0.02), and biochar yield (21%) decreased with increasing temperature. Moderate-temperature biochars (B600) have balanced physicochemical properties and yields, making them suitable for adsorption applications. Methyl orange dye removal exceeded 90% under the optimal conditions, with B600 fitting well with the Freundlich isotherm model (R 2 = 0.97; 1/n = 0.5) and pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R 2 = 1). The study highlights biochar’s suitability for varied applications, emphasizing the need for scalability in CRD wood pyrolysis.

Keywords: biomass; pyrolysis; biochar; adsorption; environment; metallurgy; carbon (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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