CHARACTERIZATION OF ALUMINOSILICATE-MODIFIED BIOCHAR AND ASHES DERIVED FROM CATTLE MANURE

Presented research aims to determine the influence of halloysite on the characteristics of biochar and ashes derived from cattle manure in terms of their potential application for sorption and soil conditioning. Halloysite is an aluminosilicate clay mineral whose unique nanostructure makes it an excellent fuel additive. With a relatively low investment cost and unproblematic management, halloysite seems to be a promising solution to biomass-and waste-related problems, as it may prevent slagging and fouling in thermal reactors as well as enhance the properties of biochar and ashes. Despite these advantages, the application of halloysite for pyrolysis process has not been sufficiently investigated yet and presented research is one of first to address this topic. Aluminosilicate-modified biochar produced and characterized in this study has a higher specific surface area and a different elemental composition compared to unmodified biochar. A similar tendency was observed for the aluminosilicate-modified and unmodified ashes. The addition of aluminosilicate clay minerals may enhance the properties of biochar and ashes, thus making them attractive for use in the circular economy, for example, as sorption materials or soil conditioners.