Biochar from the Thermochemical Conversion of Orange (Citrus sinensis) Peel and Albedo: Product Quality and Potential Applications

Orange (Citrus sinensis) is a popular fruit in west Africa that generates residues such as peels (OP) and albedo (OA) from its consumption. In this study, the biochar obtained from the char-optimised thermochemical conversion of orange peels and albedo were evaluated. The products obtained was characterised using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and Branueur-Emmett-Teller (BET) Analyses and potential applications were discussed. FTIR analysis revealed similar spectra for both samples and possessing polar groups such as alcohol, esters, ketones, aldehydes, carboxylic, ether and phenols which are characteristic of low-temperature biochar. The EDS analysis showed that OP biochar possess higher carbon content than OA biochar whilst the latter contains more inorganic elements. SEM analysis revealed that OP biochar possess a smooth surface as compared to the highly convoluted surface of the OA biochar. BET analysis revealed that the surface area was 352.5 m(2) g(-1) and 356.3 m(2) g(-1) for OP and OA biochar, respectively. Several key conclusions on the potential applications were proposed based on the analytical findings and these include soil amendment, adsorbents and as catalysts.