Design and optimization of biochar production and incorporating it into green roofs for CO2 capturing

Abstract

Biochar is a carbon-rich product produced from biomass. It is highly stable and has a solid ability to adsorb particles. The insertion of biochar into the soil improves its quality and functions as a method to remove certain harmful particulates from the air. This would be highly beneficial in the case of green roofs. Green roofs, also known as vegetative green roofs, have gained popularity due to their numerous benefits to the environment, society, and the economy. These advantages include, but are not limited to, reducing energy consumption, mitigating the urban heat island effect, reducing stormwater runoff, enhancing biodiversity, and improving water and air quality. To further optimize the air quality benefit of green roofs, our project models how CO2 is captured from the atmosphere by adding biochar as a key component. Biochar is known to store and capture more CO2 than a traditional green roof, proving an efficient CO2-capturing technique. We then generate electricity from the ‘waste’ gaseous stream, promoting reusing and using the stream well. Aspen Plus software will model the process and the corresponding optimization. Results show that the biochar production process from a feed of cotton stalks produces a pure stream of char in addition to by-products of oil and gas. The latter is then treated to produce electricity to run the plant.