Nanostructure of Gasification Charcoal (Biochar).
Jacob W MartinLeonard NyadongCaterina DucatiMerilyn Manley-HarrisAlan G MarshallMarkus KraftPublished in: Environmental science & technology (2019)
In this work, we investigate the molecular composition and nanostructure of gasification charcoal (biochar) by comparing it with heat-treated fullerene arc-soot. Using ultrahigh resolution Fourier transform ion-cyclotron resonance and laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, Raman spectroscopy, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy we analyzed charcoal of low tar content obtained from gasification. Mass spectrometry revealed no magic number fullerenes such as C60 or C70 in the charcoal. The positive molecular ion m/ z 701, previously considered a graphitic part of the nanostructure, was found to be a breakdown product of pyrolysis and not part of the nanostructure. A higher mass distribution of ions similar to that found in thermally treated fullerene soot indicates that they share a nanostructure. Recent insights into the formation of all carbon fullerenes reveal that conditions in charcoal formation are not optimal for the formation of fullerenes, but instead, curved carbon structures coalesce into fulleroid-like structures. Microscopy and spectroscopy support such a stacked, fulleroid-like nanostructure, which was explored using reactive molecular dynamics simulations.
Keyphrases
- high resolution
- sewage sludge
- molecular dynamics simulations
- mass spectrometry
- single molecule
- raman spectroscopy
- municipal solid waste
- heavy metals
- anaerobic digestion
- electron microscopy
- single cell
- high speed
- molecular docking
- gene expression
- liquid chromatography
- optical coherence tomography
- solid state
- heat stress
- capillary electrophoresis
- high performance liquid chromatography
- gas chromatography
- simultaneous determination
- risk assessment