Investigating Reactivity of Biocarbon for Metallurgical Processes Using Micro X-Ray Computed Tomography

Traditionally, fossil carbon is the most commonly used reductant for metallurgical processes such as ferro-manganese and silicon. An important path to the goal of reducing the CO₂ footprint of this industry is to replace fossil carbon sources with bio-based carbon sources. Since the structure of biocarbon is substantially different from fossil carbon, characterizing the biocarbon structure and examining its behavior during the relevant processes are important. Micro X-ray computed tomography (μCT) has been used to analyze and compare biocarbon and fossil carbons’ behavior after exposure to reactive gases such as CO₂. The investigated material is a composite mix of biocarbon and fossil carbon. Since μCT is a non-destructive technique, the same grains of carbon have been scanned before and after exposure to the reactive gas. Image analysis reveals the structural changes before and after the reactivity test, and the difference in reactivity of the fossil and biocarbon parts of the grain.