Powder Technology, Vol.367, 487-496, 2020
A comparison of liquid binders for drum granulation of biochar powder
Wet drum granulation of biochar using binder solutions of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, molasses and ammonium nitrate was investigated to compare granule characteristics to better understand how liquid binder solution affects the granulation of biochar into a soil amendment. The biochar granules were free flowing and approximately spherical with a significant yield between a size range of 1 to 4 mm. The binder concentration, total binder solution volume and drum rotational speed of the drum all affected the yield of granules within this size range. The binder concentration and volume of binder solution affected attrition resistance with molasses binder solution providing the most resistance. The results demonstrated that biochar can be granulated using wet drum granulation with all three binder solutions. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.