UAPB researchers study converting animal byproducts into charcoal
Researchers at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences are studying the potential of converting animal byproducts to multifunctional biochar, or charcoal made from biomass, said Hao Chen, assistant professor for the UAPB Department of Agriculture.
Biochar improves water quality by ensuring nutrients and chemicals are not leached off the field and into the groundwater or nearby bodies of water, and it also increases soil health and fertility.
Biochar products are used as a sustainable soil additive to improve crop yields and can reduce the ecological risks associated with common agricultural chemicals.
Although it looks like regular charcoal, biochar actually captures agricultural chemicals from the local environment, she said. The product is added to soil through tilling and absorbs pesticides, antibiotics and other undesired chemicals during agricultural production.
“Biochar can be produced both in factories, on small farms or in your own backyard from agricultural waste such as rice husks, crop stems, peanut hulls or walnut shells,” Chen said. “New research at UAPB is looking into the unique features of biochar made from animal byproducts to optimize its manufacture methods and desired functions. The goal of this project is to develop a cost-effective method for livestock farmers to convert various animal byproducts to value-added biochar products.”
Malcolm Jackson, a gradu
ate research assistant at UAPB, is working with Chen to study the potential of animal byproducts such as crawfish shells and chicken feathers to perform both sorption (adsorption/absorption) and degrade pollutants in water.
“Essentially, any animal byproduct can be used to make biochar, but not all animal byproducts are created equal in terms of their ability to perform sorption, or degrade pollutants,” he said. “My research focuses on raw materials that are not widely reused. Things like chicken bones are not a priority because they are used to create other products such as bone meal feeds for livestock. Since crawfish shells and chicken feathers are rarely used once they have been removed from the animal, however, biochar made from these products could be particularly cost-effective.”
Jackson said biochar made from animal byproducts has some unique advantages compared to plant-based biochar. For example, many plantbased biochar products use chemical and metal modifiers to improve their sorption capabilities. This can be quite expensive as pure, raw chemicals and metals are costly. Biochar derived from animal byproducts, however, uses the naturally occurring chemicals and minerals in the raw material to achieve the same level of functionality.
“Biochar already has a long history in agriculture as a soil amendment, but in my research, I aim to create a product that removes pollutants from runoff and other agricultural processes,” he said. “This would prevent farms from polluting the local water systems and ensure agricultural sustainability.”
Chen said UAPB project data will be used to determine agricultural best management practices for the use of biochar on a large scale. Eventually the product could be a cost-effective multifunctional agent.