Energy Densification of Groundnut Shell through Microwave-Assisted Hydrothermal Carbonization

Abstract

Modern technology of microwave synthesis was utilized for hydrochar production from groundnut shell biomass. Hydrochar was produced at three different temperatures (180, 200, and 220°C) with 20 minutes of holding time and analyzed for the physicochemical characteristics. The yield of hydrochar and hydrocrude were in the range of 45 to 61 % and 51 to 56 % respectively. The maximum value of the higher heating value of 19.11 MJ/kg was obtained for hydrochar produced at 220°C, which is similar to the higher heating value of lignite (19 MJ/kg). The energy densification ratio of respective hydrochar was 1.13 with 51.77 % energy yield. The result implied that microwave-assisted hydrothermal carbonization was an energyefficient method to produce hydrochar. Hydrochar produced from groundnut shells was an eco-friendly, energy enriched product that can be used as a solid fuel.