Abstract

Nigeria, being the world's largest producer of cassava, both its production and consumption, whether in raw or processed form, have increased in recent times. Unfortunately, the rising consumption of this crop has led to an increase in its peels, which, if not properly disposed or recycled, would pose huge environmental challenges and health implications. Samples of the cassava peel used in this study were obtained from Uselu, Benin City. The carbonization process of the cassava peels was done at different temperatures (250 – 450 0C). Bulk density, pH, CEC and percentage yield analysis were done using standard procedures. The biochar was characterized in terms of TGA, SEM, FTIR, XRD and BET. Carbonization process gave percentage yield range of 29.70 - 75.78%. The mean values of pH, bulk density, and CEC ranged from 6.13 - 7.90, 0.46 - 0.27 g/mL, and 86.87 - 99.28 cmol/kg respectively. FTIR analysis revealed that the cassava peel biochar consists of similar functional groups. XRF analysis showed the presence of different elements. XRD result indicates that it contains higher percentage of graphite. The BET surface area and pore sizes of the biochar obtained were 189.3 m2/g and 2.4 nm. SEM micrographs showed the rough and porous surfaces of the biochars. A weight % loss range of 77 – 350% was obtained for the TGA. The resulting biochar can be utilized for environmental applications such as carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas reduction, as well as agricultural applications to improve soil conditions.

Keywords: Dried Cassava Peels, Pyrolysis, Biochar