Trace metal elements mediated co-pyrolysis of biomass and bentonite for the synthesis of biochar with high stability

The stability of biochar is a crucial parameter in determining the potential of biochar for carbon sequestration. Many studies have demonstrated that the addition of clay during the pyrolysis of biomass is beneficial for the production of biochar with a high stability, but finding a strategy for a further improvement of stability of clay-modified biochar is still highly desirable. Herein, the co-pyrolysis of biomass and clay mediated by trace metal elements is proposed as a new strategy for the production of biochar with exceptionally high stability. The results indicate that the biochar resistance index for biochar obtained from the trace metal elements mediated the co-pyrolysis of biomass and clay is ~0.75, which is much higher than that of biochars obtained from biomass pyrolysis or the co-pyrolysis of biomass and clay, demonstrating that the presence of metal ions during the co-pyrolytic process can significantly improve the oxidation resistance of biochar. Thermogravimetric analysis reveals that the carbon retention value is reduced when the addition of metal ions during the co-pyrolytic process, and the presence of metal ions can reduce the starting temperature of the pyrolysis reaction and catalyze the process of biomass pyrolysis. In addition, the percentages of CC, CC, and CH in all biochars obtained from trace metal elements mediated the co-pyrolysis of biomass and clay are greater than 41.82%, which are higher than that of original biochar. Besides, the percentage of oxygen-containing functional groups is found to be decreased after the presence of metal ions during the co-pyrolytic process. The presence of metal ions can form metal nano-sulfides and oxides on the surface, which plays a physical barrier to the anti-oxidation performance of biochar. Furthermore, compared to BBC or BC, MnBBC and ZnBBC have a better leaching resistance to P, while FeBBC has almost no leaching resistance to soil P. Overall, the study reveals that the addition of trace element metal ions during the co-prolysis of biomass and bentonite is an effective method to increase the stability of obtained biochar, and it is also beneficial for retarding the release of nutrients in the soil and thus increase the utilization of nutrients.