Title:
Biochar in Portugal: Case Studies on the Use of a Multifaceted Carbon Material for Environmental and Agricultural Applications
Author(s):
Mourão, P., Castanheiro, J., Cansado, I., Assis, A.C.
Document(s):
Paper
Poster
Abstract:
In today’s world, it has become increasingly urgent to enhance the value of endogenous resources from each region and country, particularly through their transformation into value-added materials. This work presents several examples of how such an approach has been, and continues to be, implemented in Portugal, focusing on the conversion of biomass waste of vegetable origin into a carbon-based material: biochar. This carbonaceous material, whose structural characteristics, particularly the porosity and the surface chemistry, endow it with remarkable versatility, shows enormous potential for large-scale applications in diverse processes such as water treatment, soil health improvement, enhancement of agricultural productivity, environmental remediation, energy production, and carbon dioxide sequestration and storage, among others. In this work, results from specific projects on the production, characterization, and application of different types of biochar will be presented. The studies explore various lignocellulosic biomasses, such as olive pomace and invasive plant species like Acacia, which are converted into biochar through different processes, ranging from conventional pyrolysis to hydrothermal carbonization. After detailed characterization, these biochars were tested in water treatment processes for human consumption, remediation of runoff in areas contaminated by mining activities, and the cultivation of several agricultural crops, including rice, among others. The results demonstrate the feasibility of transforming these by-products and wastes into biochar, a material with substantial potential to be employed, primarily through adsorption mechanisms, in pollutant removal from aqueous media, in improving soil quality and health, and consequently in enhancing the productivity of agricultural crops that form the foundation of human nutrition.
Keywords:
agriculture, environment, water, biochar, soil
Topic:
Biomass Conversion to Biomaterials and Chemicals
Subtopic:
Processes for bio-materials, bio-polymers and bioplastics
Event:
34th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
6CV.9.2
Pages:
1047 - 1051
ISBN:
978-88-89407-27-1
Paper DOI:
10.5071/34thEUBCE2026-6CV.9.2
Price:
FREE
