Projects
measuring the stability of biochar in soil and developing biochar characterisation techniques Ghent University
biochar in the carbon-richh solid resideu obtained by the pyrolysis of biomass. Biochar can be used as a carbon-negative soil enhancer. the study at hand deals with the assessment of the biochar stability in the soil and its potential effect on CO2 production out of soil organic carbon by soil microbiota. furthermore, different physicochemical characterezation techniques will assessed in terms of their use in predicting the biochar in soil ...
Mitigating cadmium uptake in cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) with biochar made of local feedstocks in the Peruvian Amazon KU Leuven
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is the world’s leading producer of fine flavour cocoa and contributes 17% of the global cocoa production, which is mainly produced by resource-poor smallholder farmers in Andean countries (Peru, Ecuador, Colombia). Recent surveys have shown that cacao originated in LAC have relatively high concentrations of cadmium (Cd,) which is unrelated to soil pollution. New restrictions on Cd content in chocolate ...
RETHINKING MICROALGAE BIOREFINERY PROCESSES Combining low-cost harvesting (flocculation) with green extraction methods (NADES) to turn contamination into opportunity (metal-doped biochar and activated carbon) Hasselt University
Biochar as soil conditioner for sustainable management of coconut plantations in Sri Lanka: effects on micorrhizae and growth-promoting bacteria Ghent University
This project aims to test if soil amendment of pyrolysed rice and gliricidia residues exert beneficial effects on growth of coconut trees in by enhancing nutrient availability. Focus is on biomass and activity of arbuscular micorrhizae and plant-growth promoting rhizo-bacteria in a Sri Lankan plantation field trial and by means of pot experiments (FBE-UGent).
Physical and electrochemical characterization of biochar in advanced battery technology Hasselt University
CFD modelling of biomass slow pyrolysis in screw reactors for theproduction of biochar and charcoal. Ghent University
Slow pyrolysis is a biomass conversion process in which biomass is converted into char with the aim of improcing its solid fuel properties, of to serve in new applications such as biochar (soil amendment). in this project, a CFD reactor model will be developed to simulate these slow pyrolysis processes, as carried out in a screw reactor. Amultistage approach is followed in which, first a single particle pyrolysis model is developed. next, the ...
Catalyzing research on biochar to obtain new surfaces (CARBONS) Ghent University
This proposed project propels both research teams to the front of a largely uncharted research area, where a shared interest in surface engineering is the main driver to answer the call for interdisciplinary research. More specifically, various agricultural and urban residues are to be converted to ultimately metal-decorated carbon materials. To do so, thermochemical conversions (carbonization and activation) are combined with magnetron ...
Biochar as soil conditioner for sustainable management of coconut plantations in Sri Lanka: effects on micorrhizae and growth-promoting bacteria. Ghent University
This research aims to test if soil amendment of pyrolysed rice and gliricidia residues exert beneficial effects on growth of coconut trees in by enhancing nutrient availability. Focus is on biomass and activity of arbuscular micorrhizae and plant-growth promoting rhizo-bacteria in a Sri Lankan plantation field trial and by means of pot experiments (FBE-UGent).
Climate-smart soil management strategies for sorghum production at the Lake Victoria Basin of Kenya KU Leuven
Study Title: Impact of organic amendments on Soil Properties and GHG Emissions, and Performance of Grain Sorghum Background of the study The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) has risen by over 40 % since 1750 and continues to rise at the rate of 2.0 ± 1.0 ppm Y-1 (IPCC, 2014). The rising concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) has caused a significant increase in global mean air temperatures (Allen et al., ...