Question:medium

Pyrolysis of biomass at a relatively low temperature produces

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Recall how traditional charcoal is made, slow heating at low temperature in absence of air.
  • Mixture of combustible gases having low calorific value
  • Combustible gas and carbon char
  • Carbonaceous char
  • Liquid fuel of very high calorific value
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Think of pyrolysis on a sliding scale of severity. Low temperature with slow heating is the mildest condition, and mild conditions do not supply enough energy to fully crack the biomass into small gas molecules or to keep the vapours from recombining and depositing as solid carbon. What remains is largely carbonaceous char, the same product you get from a slow charcoal kiln.

As you push the severity up, either by raising temperature or by shortening how long the vapours sit in the hot zone, the balance of products shifts. Moderate, fast conditions favor liquid bio-oil because vapours are quenched before they crack further. High temperature with longer residence time favors gas because everything keeps breaking down into smaller molecules.

Since the question specifically asks about relatively low temperature, none of the gas-rich or oil-rich outcomes apply, and the correct product is the carbon-rich solid residue.

\[\boxed{\text{Carbonaceous char}}\]
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