How much is the Cost of producing

bamboo and corn cob biochar?

MMSU Crop Research Laboratory

Batac City Printed 2011

Biochar

MARIANO MARCOS STATE UNIVERSITY Batac City, Ilocos Norte

Bamboo and Corn Cob

Production and Production and Production and

Utilization ProcessesUtilization ProcessesUtilization Processes

Developed by the Bamboo Biochar Research Project

“soil conditioner”

Improve soil condition

and productivity through

Cost of Machine

Pyrolizer P13,980

Biochar crusher P 30,000

Cost/Output (P/kg)

Bamboo P 4.46

Corn cob P 6.38

Selling price P 7.00

Net Profit Ratio (%) 36.25

Payback Period (Year) 0.95

Profitability Index (PI) 1.90

Physico-chemical characteristics of bamboo

biochar and distillate

Bamboo Distillate

Methyl Alcohol 0.24

Total Acids 2.93

Titrable Acidity 3.66

Bamboo biochar

Fixed Carbon (%) 71.99

Ash Content (%) 9.46

Volatile Combustible Matter (%) 13.9

Heating Value (BTU/lb) 12,200

(Analysis Conducted by DOST-ITDI, 2011)

Source of Information: DESIGN OF BAMBOO AND CORN COB BIOCHAR

PRODUCTION PROCESS AND ITS APPLICATION

AS SOIL PRODUCTIVITY ENHANCER STANLEY C. MALAB, JOSE A. ZAFARALLA, BEATRIZ S. MALAB

and DIONISIO S. B UCAO

Mariano Marcos State University

E-mail: stanleycmalab@yahoo.com

How to apply biochar as soil conditioner and

what would be the effect?

Biochar Mixture

Mix 2 kg Biochar with 3.00 kg compost

fertilizer kg m-2 for eggplant

For Ipomea aquatic and Pechay under pot

condition mix 1:1 ratio of biochar and organic

fertilizer

Eggplant applied with bamboo biochar + vermicompost

Ipomea aquatica applied with biochar + vermicompost

With biochar and Organic fertilizer With Organic fertilizer only

Ondinary soil only With biochar only

With biochar and Organic fertilizer

Organic fertilizer only

What is Biochar?

Biochar is a highly stable carbon compound

created when biomass is heated through pyrolysis

process, basically under limited or low oxygen

condition.

Why Biochar?

Biochar is a charcoal product created for

agricultural and environmental gain specifically

as an organic material used as „soil conditioner‟

or “soil productivity enhancer”

It has several beneficial effects in soil like:

increase water infiltration and water holding

capacity, improve soil structure, tilth and

stability, increase cation exchange capacity

(CEC)—and other soil properties, provide

favorable microbial environment, and possibly

reduce total fertilizer requirement

How to make Biochar from Bamboo and

Corn Cob?

Design and fabricate a simple and cheap

“pyrolizer”

a double-walled outer chamber and inner

closed chamber with after burner made of G.I.

pipe connected to the lid.

The outer chamber is double walled

cylindrical chamber with brick and clay soil as

the as the heat insulator.

The inner chamber is cylindrical vessel as the reactor

made of #16 (1.5 mm) G.I. sheet with tight lid

where the stainless pipe distillate condenser/collector

and exit of syn-gas and tar is attached.

The syn-gas pipe and tar collector extends to the

underneath of the reactor. A control valve for the

distillate condenser and another for the syngas and

tar collector were provided to control the flow of

distillate and syn-gas.

Provide small openings at the bottom side of the

outer cylinder to control air flow and a bigger

opening beside as fuel feed to sustain the heat if

necessary.

The

Pyrolysis Process

Cut the feedstock (bamboo) into 20 cm long and split

into four, for corn cob process it as whole cob arranged in the fesstock in the reactor in such a way that

the maximum capacity of the cylinder is attained. Cover

the reactor tightly with the lid to control the entry of air

and escape of syngas and smoke during charring.

Biochar from Bamboo and Corn Cob

Production and Utilization Processes

Place small pieces of bamboo wastes as kindling materials (approx. 15%

of the feedstock to char) loaded

outside the reactor to provide initial

fire. Start the charring process by

evenly kindling heating fuel from

the top. As the fire is well underway

close the lid of the heating

chamber without the afterburner. The syngas from the reactor can

add energy to sustain burning of

the kindling fuel.

Sustain heating for 3 hrs and allow the pyrolizer to cool for 10

hours prior to discharging the biochar.

During the process of pyrolysis distillates are produce as

a result of heating the biomass. Collect the distillate

through the condenser attached to the lid of the reactor.

Heat Insulator (outer chamber)

REACTOR

Biochar Crusher

After discharging the biochar from the pyrolizer

crush into granules or fine particles (not powder)

with the crusher machine to attain uniform

application with the soil and fertilizer.

Biochar Pyrolizer Production Efficiency - 38.5 %

Energy Output/Input Ratio - 6.36 for bamboo

-3.37 for corn cob