The influence of impregnation of sodium carbonate catalyst on physicochemical properties of biochar

Biochar has been a viable resource in producing functionalized carbonaceous materials beneficial in soil fertility, environmental remediation, and energy recovery. In this study, the influence of Na₂CO₃ in the pyrolytic conversion of green pea peels to biochar was performed to assess biochar's yield and physicochemical characteristics. Experimentations were conducted in batch processes at a constant temperature of 500 ^oC using 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% (W/W) Na₂CO₃ Catalyst by wet impregnation. Characterizations of produced biochar materials have been conducted by bomb calorimetry, SEM, bomb BET, FTIR, and XRD. Accordingly, catalyst incorporation by pre-treatment resulted in a decrease in yield while increasing the porous development. The specific surface area increased from (1.006- 17.7 m²g^-1), and the pore diameter decreased from 173.1 to 9.283 nm. The oxygenated functional groups negatively correlated with the increase in the amount of catalyst whereas the calorific values of the synthesized materials increased from 20.313 kJg^-1 to 25.479kJg^-1 when catalyst impregnation ratio was enhanced from 0% to 30%, indicating that biochar produced from catalyzed processes demonstrate better energy recovery potential.