Biocarbon & Other Bio-based Products

Biochar and activated carbon from lignocellulosic biomass is emerging as a sustainable material with versatile applications, but its detailed property is poorly understood due to the structural complexity. Our research provides a systematic characterization of nano-carbon crystallite development from biomass using composition analysis, x-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy. Increasing the severity led to the disappearance of disordered carbon-composite structures, and emergence of primitive graphitic structure. Several types of high-temperature reactors are available in the lab including graphitization and steam activation.