EUBCE 2024 - Klaus SUPANCIC - Characterisation of Biochars for Metallurgical Applications and Means of Optimisation

Characterisation of Biochars for Metallurgical Applications and Means of Optimisation

Short Introductive summary

The metallurgical industry is responsible for a considerable share of the world’s CO2 emissions, thus appropriate mitigation strategies are urgently needed to reach global targets for Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions. A significant share of these emissions is related to the use of coke or coal for the reduction and/or carburization of raw materials and for energy generation. The substitution of fossil C-carriers with sustainably produced biochar (BC) could be achieved without major adaptations to the processes and without high investment costs, making this option an interesting solution. The purpose of the work was the investigation of BC properties relevant for the use in metallurgical processes (e.g. C content, ash content, density, reactivity (CRI), specific surface etc.), their comparison with typical fossil C-carriers, requirements of specific metallurgical processes as well as the evaluation of possible means to improve certain BC properties for these processes. As a result of the presented work, advantages and disadvantages of BC compared to fossil C carriers, depending on their use, have been defined, which forms the basis for further R&D work on this topic.

K. Supancic, BIOS Bioenergiesysteme, Graz, AUSTRIA
C. Dornig, Montanuniversität Leoben, Leoben, AUSTRIA
T. Brunner, BIOS Bioenergiesysteme, Graz, AUSTRIA
J. Antrekowitsch, Montanuniversität Leoben, Leoben, AUSTRIA
I. Obernberger, BIOS Bioenergiesysteme, Graz, AUSTRIA