As an emerging green material, biochar continues to attract people’s attention. Biochar is widely used in various fields, at the same time, related industries have been exploring its new uses. In recent years, biochar has also been widely used in animal husbandry: it can be added to feed for many benefits.
Why Choose Biochar as Feed Additive in Animal Husbandry
Biochar can be used as a feed additive in animal husbandry mainly because its structural properties play a major role. Biochar is a product made through a pyrolysis process. This process is usually carried out in biochar production equipment. Some of the structural properties of biochar are described below.
Highly Porous Structure
Biochar has a highly porous structure, which is caused by the volatilization of substances during pyrolysis. The porous structure endows biochar with good adsorption properties, which enables it to adsorb gases, liquids, and solutes.
High Specific Surface Area
The larger specific surface area helps to increase the contact area between biochar and other substances. Consequently, this also increases the efficiency of processes such as adsorption, catalysis, and ion exchange.
Good Chemical Stability
Biochar usually has high chemical stability, acid and alkali resistance, and thermal stability. This enables biochar to maintain its structural and performance stability under various environmental and application conditions.
Benefits of Biochar Animal Feed
Improve Digestive Health
Biochar has the ability to adsorb harmful substances. Biochar feed can eliminate the negative effects of bacteria, toxins, and heavy metals on the digestive system of animals. In this way, the digestive capacity of animals is improved.
Increase Feed Utilization
Biochar has the ability to adsorb and fix nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Biochar animal feed helps animals absorb nutrients in the feed. This maximizes the availability of these nutrients to the animal.
Reduce Methane Production
Methane produced in the rumens of ruminants is considered a major source of greenhouse gases. By feeding biochar to cattle, part of the methane can be adsorbed in the biochar, reducing its amount entering the atmosphere.
Control Odor and Reduce Pollution
The good adsorption performance of biochar can absorb the harmful gas in the feces. In this way, feces odor and air pollution are reduced. At the same time, the addition of biochar can improve the quality of feces, which reduces the content of potential pollutants in feces.
Anti-bacterial and Anti-disease Effects
Biochar has a certain antibacterial ability, which can inhibit the growth and reproduction of some pathogenic microorganisms. Adding biochar can reduce the risk of disease in animals, optimize immune function, and improve the overall health of animals.
Contribute to Sustainable Development
Biochar is an eco-friendly material. Compared with traditional feed additives, the environmental impact of biochar animal feed supplements in the process of manufacture and use is relatively small, which is in line with the concept of sustainable development.
What Biomass Can be Used to Make Biochar
Wood and sawdust
Wood and sawdust are common sources of biomass, and biochar can be produced by wood charcoal making machine. Different wood species in various regions can be used to get biochar.
Crop residues
The residues of agricultural crops, such as straw, rice husk, and wheat straw, can be used as biomass sources. These crop residues are usually by-products of agricultural fields and crop processing.
Fruit shells and plant skins
Fruit shells and plant skins, such as peanut shells, coconut shells, and nut shells, can be used as biomass sources. Most of them are abandoned and resources are relatively abundant.
Food processing waste
Waste from food processing, such as grape pomace, grape vines, and distillers grains, can be used as a source of biomass. These wastes are often rich in organic matter and can be converted into biochar.
Sewage sludge
Sewage sludge includes municipal sludge, river sludge and industrial sludge. Sewage sludge is rich in organic matter. These organic substances are key ingredients in the production of biochar.
Municipal domestic waste
Municipal solid waste contains a large amount of organic matter, such as food scraps, plant waste, and paper. These organic substances are the main raw materials for producing biochar.
How to Produce Biochar: Biomass Pyrolysis
Today, biomass pyrolysis has become the mainstream technology for producing biochar. This technology provides a sustainable solution for the management of waste biomass. Not only that, it produces high-quality biochar in an eco-friendly way. The following is the production process of biochar.
- Raw material preparation: First, biomass raw materials need to be collected and pretreated. These raw materials are crushed and dried to better suit the pyrolysis process.
- Feed and heating: The pretreated biomass is fed into a biomass pyrolysis plant, usually in batch or continuous mode. The equipment will provide a suitable temperature and oxygen-deficient environment. The pyrolysis reaction is promoted by heating the raw material at high temperature.
- Pyrolysis reaction: In a high temperature and oxygen-deficient environment, the organic substances in the raw material undergo a pyrolysis reaction. During this process, organic matter breaks down into gaseous, liquid and solid products. Among them, the solid product is biochar.
- Combustion control: During the pyrolysis process, the combustible gas produced can be used as fuel to provide heat to maintain a suitable temperature. The equipment will carry out combustion control to ensure the stability and high efficiency of the pyrolysis process.
- Product collection and processing: After the pyrolysis process, the biochar is collected and separated. At this point, other by-products such as wood vinegar and tar are produced. These by-products can be further processed or utilized.
If you want the livestock to grow better, the biochar added to the feed must be of high quality. Therefore, a biochar production equipment that can produce high quality biochar is essential.
Trustworthy Biochar Production Equipment Supplier – Beston Group
Beston Group, as an experienced supplier, has been committed to providing customers with high-quality biochar pyrolysis machines. The equipment model is comprehensive, which can provide you with solutions for processing various biomass raw materials. Not only that, Beston’s machines have different capacities. Therefore, there are suitable models for both large-scale and small-scale processing volumes. The following provides you with the model parameters of Beston’s equipment, welcome to consult for more details.
| Model | BST-J12 | BST-J18 | BST-J40 | BST-05 Pro (skid-mounted) | BST-10 | BST-30 | BST-50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input Capacity | 12m³/batch | 18m³/batch | 40m³/batch | 0.3-0.5m³/h | 2-4m³/h | 7-9m³/h | 10-15m³/h |
| Reactor Size | φ1900mm*L4500mm | φ1900mm*L6600mm | φ2800mm*L7100mm | φ830mm*L5500mm | φ1300mm*L14051mm | φ1700mm*L14180mm | φ2000mm*L14260mm |
| Land for Equipment (L*W*H, Standard Configuration) | 9m*6m*6m | 12m*6m*7m | 15m*18m*7m | 10m*8m*3.9m | 29m*15m*5m | 30m*15m*8m | 35m*18m*9m |
| Weight (Standard Configuration) | 18T | 22T | 34T | 15T | 32T | 35T | 49T |
| Energy Consumption (Standard Configuration) | 11kw/h | 13.5kw/h | 25kw/h | 31kw/h | 34.7kw/h | 61.5kw/h | 116kw/h |
| Working Method | Batch | Fully continuous | |||||
| Feeding Requirement | / | Size: ≤20mm; moisture: ≤15%; strong liquidity | |||||
| Structure | Horizontal rotation | Double barrel single hearth | Double barrel double hearth | ||||
| Speed | 0-2RPM | 1-9RPM | |||||
| Control Method | Control by buttons | PLC control | |||||
| Reactor Material | Q245R | Q245+310S | |||||
| Pressure | Micro negative pressure | ||||||
| Heating Material | Diesel, natural gas, heavy oil, biomas, etc. | ||||||
| Heating Method | Direct heating | ||||||
| Noise (dB) | ≤80 | ||||||
| Condenser | Circulating water cooling | ||||||
| Rotation Method | External gear rotation | ||||||
Conclusion
The application of biochar as a feed additive in animal husbandry has great potential. This can not only meet the nutritional needs of animals, but also promote the development of animal husbandry in a healthier, environmentally friendly, and sustainable direction. We have reasons to believe that the application of biochar will bring greater changes and development opportunities to the animal husbandry industry. If you want to know more about biochar manufacturing equipment, you can also follow us on LinkedIn.