Vol. 12, Special Issue 11 (2023)

Author(s):
Sandhya Boriwal

Abstract:
The study involved converting Parthenium biomass into biochar using a portable pyrolyzer at a temperature range of 450 °C to 600 °C. The study conducted a comprehensive proximate analysis of Parthenium biomass, including moisture content, volatile matter, ash content, and fixed carbon, with each trial conducted three times for precision. The results showed a remarkably low moisture level of 4.61%, along with an ash content of 7.63%, volatile matter content of 74.69%, and fixed carbon content of 13.7%. The ultimate analysis of biomass C, N, H, S, O contents of 37.96%, 3.83%, 5.83%, 0.35%, 43.95%.The study also focused on extracting humic acid (HA) from Parthenium-derived biochar using a hydrothermal (alkaline) method, with two repeated trials. The results, presented in Table 4.5, showed that the dried HA weight varied from 5.50 g to 5.96 g from a 50-gram biochar sample, yielding an average of 5.73 g and HA percentages ranging from 11.00% to 11.95%.