Life Cycle Assessment of Biochar as a Partial Replacement to Portland Cement

Biochar also known as ‘biocarbon’ or ‘biocoal’ is a material that has a charcoal similar property. It is obtained from thermolysis (pyrolysis) of biomass feedstocks and plant matters. It can help the process of eliminating carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The biochar was considered as waste by industrial plants and considered no additional cost except for the transportation. Biochar was tested for its chemical properties in Department of Science and Technology as a parameter for Simapro. Environmental and health impact were analyzed in this study for concrete with biochar as partial replacement for cement. Different mixtures with zero percent to twenty percent biochar replacement was simulated using life cycle assessment with the help of Simapro. Different sources in Luzon island, Philippines were gathered and found out that sources in southern part of Luzon is the best sources for biochar because of its near location that decreases the effect of transportation. Also, concrete with biochar replacement with or without considereing the effect of transportation yields greater health and environmental impact compared to mixture without biochar replacement.