Co-gasification characteristics of coke blended with hydro-char and pyro-char from bamboo

The renewable and carbon-neutral biomass is gaining a lot of interest in ironmaking as a substitute to metallurgical coke. The present study looked at partial replacement of coke with biochar obtained from hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) and pyrolysis of bamboo. Pyro-char has a higher carbon crystallinity, lower volatiles and better pore characteristics, while HTC is ideal for the removal of ash especially alkali metals. Devolatilization occurs at 500–900 °C for the hydro-char/coke mixture while the pyro-char/coke blend shows a continuous gasification reaction. The activation energy of gasification for the 50% pyro-char/50% coke is 200–320 kJ/mol, significantly lower than the competing mixture with hydro-char. Although the biochar obtained from pyrolysis of bamboo is more suitable for BF, the excellent ash removal and lower cost of hydrothermal treatment are offering benefits so that a combination of both may present an optimum blend for reducing the carbon footprint of ironmaking process.