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Biochar from forest biomass and its remains has become an essential material for environmental engineering, and is used in the environment to restore or improve soil function and its fertility, where it changes the chemical, physical and biological processes. The article presents the research results on the opportunity to use the pyrolysis process to receive multifunctional biochar materials from oak biomass. It was found that biochars obtained from oak biomass at 450 and 500 °C for 10 min were rich in macronutrients. The greatest variety of the examined elements was characterized by oak-leaf pyrolysate, and high levels of Ca, Fe, K, Mg, P, S, Na were noticed. Pyrolysates from acorns were high in Fe, K, P and S. Oak bark biochars were rich in Ca, Fe, S and contained nitrogen. In addition, biomass pyrolysis has been found to improve energy parameters and does not increase the dust explosion hazard class. The oak biomass pyrolytic at 450 and 500 °C after 10 min increases its caloric content for all samples tested by at least 50%. The highest caloric value among the raw biomass tested was observed in oak bark: 19.93 MJ kg−1 and oak branches: 19.23 MJ kg−1. The mean and highest recorded Kstmax were 94.75 and 94.85 bar s−1, respectively. It can be concluded that pyrolysis has the potential to add value to regionally available oak biomass. The results described in this work provide a basis for subsequent, detailed research to obtain desired knowledge about the selection of the composition, purpose, and safety rules of production, storage, transport and use of biochar materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the findings related to the calorific value as well as the explosion and combustion parameters of dust from the raw biomass of fruit trees, i.e., apple, cherry, and pear branches, and from biochars produced using this type of biomass during pyrolysis processes conducted under various conditions. The plant biomass was thermally processed at 400, 450, or 500 °C for a duration of 5, 10, or 15 min. The study aimed to identify the calorific value of the biomass obtained from waste produced in orchards and to estimate the explosion hazard during the processing of such materials and during the storage of the resulting solid fuels. Tests were conducted to assess the total contents of carbon, ash, nitrogen, hydrogen, and volatile substances as well as the calorific value. The findings show a significant effect of the thermal transformation of fruit tree branches on the calorific value of the biochars that were produced. It was found that the mean calorific value of all of the biochars was increased by 62.24% compared to the non-processed biomass. More specifically, the mean calorific values of the biochars produced from apple, cherry, and pear branches amounted to 27.90, 28.75, and 26.84 MJ kg−1, respectively. The maximum explosion pressure Pmax measured for the dust from the biomass and for the biochars was in the range 7.56–7.8 and 7.95–11.72 bar, respectively. The maximum rate of pressure rose over time (dp/dt)max in the case of the dust from the biomass, which was in the range of 274.77–284.97 bar s−1, and the dust from biochar amounted to 282.05–353.41 bar s−1. The explosion index Kst max measured for non-processed biomass and biochars was found to range from 74.46 to 77.23 and from 76.447 to 95.77 bar s−1, respectively. It was also shown that a change in the temperature and duration of the pyrolysis process affected the quality of the biochars that were obtained. The findings show that pyrolysis, as a method of plant biomass processing, positively affects the calorific value of the products and does not lead to an increased risk of explosion during the treatment and storage of such materials. It is necessary, however, to continue research on biomass processing in order to develop practices that adequately ensure safety during the production of novel fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]