Project Offerings

Fall/Winter 2009-2010

BEFORE beginning work in the lab and during the two terms of the project, each team MUST complete the following tasks:

• Attend all orientation sessions and workshops.
• Complete WHMIS training.
• Complete and submit to the Department Safety Officer, Steve Hodgson, the three required safety forms.
• Submit a literature review and research proposal.
• Receive training on the use of equipment and laboratory protocols.
• Meet with the research supervisor every two weeks to discuss progress and to evaluate the next step. It is the responsibility of each group to arrange this meeting.
• Discuss with the supervisor their experimental approach before work is done.
• Keep an up-to-date record in a hard cover notebook of all research activities including lab work, literature search, research meetings etc

Projects

Project Descriptions

Effects of Thermal and Reaction History on Biochar Microstructure

Dr. Darko Matovic
Mechanical and Materials Engineering
McLaughlin 322
613-533-6824

Biochar production and storage in the soil is a viable, easy to implement carbon sequestration strategy. Biomass is subjected to a thermal treatment that converts various biological structures into a black (mostly inorganic) carbon matrix that may incorporate other organic and inorganic ingredients (bio-oils, minerals, nitrile groups, etc.). Depending on the thermal and chemical processing regime, as well as on the source material and its condition, the resulting biomass can have vastly different microstructure. The pore size can vary between 1 nm, all the way up to 1 mm, a six-degrees of magnitude span! Similarly, its folded surface can vary from 10 to 2000 m2/g. In this thesis project the student will acquire biochar samples from the local greenhouse nursery, Burt's Greenhouses in Odessa, carefully recording the conditions under which the biochar is produced and the source materials used. They will characterize biochar microstructure by electron and scanning surface microscopy, determine its BET surface area, pH and hydrophylic/hydrophobic surface nature. They will run similar evaporation (pyrolysis) process in the closed reactor (or the horizontal tube quartz reactor?) with the aim of reproducing the microstructure as close to the "naturally" produced one as possible. Given the better process control and monitoring capabilities in the lab than at the power plant, this new understanding of how the carbonization process dynamics influences biochar microstructure will help defining lab-based biochar study.

Last updated August 20, 2009