ABSTRACT

 This project was carried out to determine the effect of process parameters on the production and characterization of plant based biochar. Two plant based biochars (cocoa pod and water melon shell) were used in carrying out this experiment using the slope pyrolysis method which occurs at a low heating and long vapour resident time. The raw bio-mass contain nutrients on their own but through the process of heating (pyrolysis, this nutrients are enhanced, their concentration increase which will translate to more nutrient to the soil. Five samples were weighed and ultimate and proximate analysis were carried out before and after the pyrolysis. Result of the proximate analysis show that the CHO content of water melon and cocoa pod were 64.67 and 26.78 before pyrolysis and 69.53 and 26.78 respectively after the pyrolysis. This shows that the pyrolysis has great effects on this two samples thereby increasing the CHO content ofwater melon and that ofcocoa pod remain the same. When the ultimate analysis was carried out it was found that the carbon content ofwater melon and cocoa pod were 53.00 and 50.81 before pyrolysis and 55.34 and 48.14 respectively which means that the pyrolysis caused great improvement ofthe carbon content ofwater melon. The yield ofbiochar decreased while ash content increased at high temperature. In the determination percentage carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur the result for ultimate analysis indicated that carbon and nitrogen increased more after pyrolysis in water melon biochar compared to cocoa pod making it a more desirable material for soil amendment biochar.