Enhancing Biochar Densification Through the Addition of Agricultural Solid Waste as Natural Binders: Optimization, Mechanisms, and Performance Evaluation

Publication Date

4-15-2026

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Bioenergy Research

Volume

19

Issue

1

DOI

10.1007/s12155-026-10998-1

Abstract

Direct production of biochar pellets often suffers from poor pelletizing performance due to the loss of natural binding substances during pyrolysis, requiring costly and unsustainable additives. This study explored the use of agricultural solid wastes as natural binders to enhance biochar densification and optimized co-pelletizing parameters. Corn stalk biochar was combined with corn stalk (CS), apple tree branches (AB), anaerobic fermentation residue of potato (BR), and Pleurotus eryngii dreg (MD). under varying blending ratios and molding pressures. The effects of these factors on pellet strength, energy density, and combustion performance were systematically evaluated. Appropriate waste addition and pressure significantly improved pellet mechanical stability and energy quality. When the drop resistance index exceeded 98%, optimal formulations were identified as CS30−5, AB60−5, BR50−5, and MD50−3. Compared with raw agricultural wastes, the optimized pellets showed increases in higher heating value (HHV) by 21.23–48.28% and in energy density by 176.81–708.93%. Microscopic analysis revealed strong bonding between biochar and agricultural residues, while hydrophobicity and combustion tests confirmed superior fuel performance. This work demonstrates that agricultural residues can serve as efficient, eco-friendly binders, improving both densification and combustion characteristics, and offers a sustainable strategy for agricultural waste utilization in high-performance solid biofuels.

Keywords

Agricultural waste, Biochar densification, Biomass fuel, Co-densification, Combustion performance

Department

Applied Data Science

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