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Biochar and bioenergy production by pyrolysis of Conocarpus and Eucalyptus wastes: a case study, Khuzestan province, Iran

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Abstract

In this study, the potential of simultaneous production of biochar and bioenergy from Conocarpus and Eucalyptus pruning wastes by pyrolysis process at isothermal conditions was investigated in order to manage these wastes and produce sustainable products. Pruning waste data were collected from different cities of Khuzestan province in Iran. The pyrolysis process increased the pH, CEC, EC, specific surface area, C/N ratio and the content of C, fixed C, N, Ca, Mg, K, P, Fe, Zn and ash, while reduced the bulk density, ratios O/C, H/C, (O + N)/C and (O + N + S)/C and the content of H, O, S, Cl, sulfate, bicarbonate and volatile matter. The annual potential for simultaneous production of biochars and electricity from Conocarpus and Eucalyptus pruning wastes by pyrolysis in Khuzestan province was estimated about 167,510 tones and 312 GWh, respectively. Findings suggest that biochar production from trees pruning waste by pyrolysis in Khuzestan province, in addition to reducing the disposal problems of these bulky wastes, can be considered as a promising method to produce soil remediation materials and renewable energy.

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Data availability

The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Code availability

SPSS 22.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz and the financial support of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz in the form of a fund (SCU.AA98.29747).

Funding

This study was funded by Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biosystems Engineering, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

    A. H. Wallikhani

  2. Department of Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

    A. Asakereh

  3. Department of Soil Science and Engineering, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

    A. Farrokhian Firouzi

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  1. A. H. Wallikhani
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Amir Hossein Wallikhani, Abbas Asakereh and Ahmad Farrokhian. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Abbas Asakereh and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to A. Asakereh.

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The authors declare they have no financial interests. The authors are members of the university faculty and do not receive any damages as university faculty members.

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The questionnaire and methodology for this study were approved by the Human Research Ethics committee of the Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz.

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Editorial responsibility: Samareh Mirkia.

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Wallikhani, A.H., Asakereh, A. & Farrokhian Firouzi, A. Biochar and bioenergy production by pyrolysis of Conocarpus and Eucalyptus wastes: a case study, Khuzestan province, Iran. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 19, 5839–5848 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-021-03765-6

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