This presentation will describe the main challenges facing the development of pyrolysis processes to meet the issues of climate change and the reduction of greenhouse gases through the use of biochars. Biochars are the subject of numerous studies for their potential uses in various applications such as agronomy, decontamination and energy. Each application requires specific characteristics of biochars in terms of physical, chemical and structural properties in order to achieve the required performance. These properties can be controlled to some extent by the nature of the biomass used and the pyrolysis parameters employed. Nevertheless, the development of clean and sustainable pyrolysis processes, integrated into a circular economy system, remains a challenge. We will present the activities carried out as part of the European Cronus project (https://cronushorizon.eu/), the aim of which is to simultaneously produce biochar for agronomic applications and biofuels. The methodology will be detailed, specifying the biomasses selected, the pyrolysis parameters employed and the characteristics of the biochars studied. The initial resultswill be presented, focusing on the mass and energy balances carried out at laboratory scale and on the physicochemical and structural characterization of the biochars for future agronomic trials. The results highlight the significant influence of pyrolysis temperature on the chemical properties of biochars, as well as on pH, while the pyrolysis atmosphere plays a major role in the textural properties of biochars at temperatures of 800°C.

Alfredo Napoli1,Nicolas Brun2, Nabila Boutahar2, Philippe Gallet2 ; 1 BioWooEB Unit Research, French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development, Montpellier, France ; 2 ICGM, CNRS, ENSCM, Univ. Montpellier, France ;