Generating energy from banana peel

Subject: Science & Tech

Section: Biotechnology

Context- Dried banana peel has a hydrogen content of 5%, and 33% is carbon.

Concept-

Biomass is a catch-all term for organic waste material of plant and animal origin.
It is a rich source of both hydrogen and carbon — our dried banana peel has a hydrogen content of 5%, and 33% is carbon.
The Swiss group uses pyrolysis, wherein organic matter is decomposed using small bursts of intense heat under inert conditions.
Here decomposition of a kilogram of banana peel powder — liberating 100 litres of hydrogen gas.
This short burst of photothermal energy also produces 330 grams of biochar, a solid residue that is rich in carbon.
If the biomass had been burnt, gaseous carbon would have escaped as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
However Pyrolysis ensures that carbon remains sequestered as a solid.

Pyrolisis:

Pyrolysis is the thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures in an inert atmosphere.
It involves a change in chemical composition. The word is coined from the Greek-derived elements pyro “fire” and lysis “separating”.
It is most commonly used in the treatment of organic materials. It is one of the processes involved in charring wood.
It is considered as the first step in the processes of gasification or combustion.

About Biochar:

Biochar is a high-carbon, fine-grained residue that is currently produced through modern pyrolysis processes (direct thermal decomposition of biomass in the absence of oxygen and preventing combustion).
It produces a mixture of solids (the biochar proper), liquid (bio-oil), and gas (syngas) products.
Biochar may increase soil fertility of acidic soils (low pH soils), increase agricultural productivity, and provide protection against some foliar and soil-borne diseases.

Beneﬁts of biochar:

Biochar has other uses too — apart from safekeeping carbon, biochar has several uses in agriculture.
Agricultural leftovers such as rice husk are a major source of biomass, and the biochar it forms has signiﬁcant mineral content. Adding it to soil enriches plant nutrients.
The porous nature of biochar makes it suitable for remediation — the adsorption of toxic substances in polluted soils – thus reducing the potency of contaminants in the soil.