Obtaining wood vinegar from canola stalk by slow pyrolysis method and using it to prevent the growth of some fungues

In this thesis, a laboratory type fixed bed pyrolysis system was designed and manufactured. Canola stalk was chosen as the pyrolysis material. Considering the preliminary tests, improvements were made in the pyrolysis system. Canola stalks, which were prepared with an average length of 2,5 cm, were subjected to pyrolysis process at 6 different temperatures (280, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550 and 600 °C). Moisture and ash contents, elemental contents, higher calorific values were determined and FT-IR, SEM and color analyzes were carried out for biochar samples. The components of wood vinegar samples, which were separated from the pyrolysis liquid, were determined by GC-MS and FT-IR analyses and color analyzes were also performed. Vinegar samples were applied to 'Alternaria alternata' fungus at 3 different dilution ratios (1/100, 1/300 and 1/500) and their antifungal activities were determined in vitro. Maximum and minimum yields were determined as 45.38% and 30.11% at 280 and 600 °C for biochar, respectively; 31.51% and 22.97% at 300 and 600 °C for pyrolysis liquid, respectively; 30,13 and 46,91% at 300 and 600 °C for pyrolysis gas, respectively. Increasing of the temperature results in a decrease in biochar yield and an increase in pyrolysis gas yield. Moisture content of the biochar samples decreased in general with the increase of temperature while ash contents increased. Elemental analysis results showed that increasing the pyrolysis temperature increases the carbon content of biochars, on the other hand, it decreases the oxygen, hydrogen contents and mole ratios of H/C and O/C. Higher calorific values of the biochars increased with the increase in temperature and varied between 22.97 and 23.61 MJ/kg. FT-IR results showed that biochar samples intensively contain aromatic and aliphatic functional groups. The porous formation was more prominent in SEM micrographs of the samples obtained at a temperature higher than 400°C. While the chroma increased with the increase in temperature, the (a*) and (b*) values decreased. The FT-IR spectra of the wood vinegar samples showed that their structures were very similar, and the GC/MC results showed that the percentages of phenol compounds were higher than the other components. The temperature increase decreased the (a*) and (b*) values of the vinegar samples. Antifungal activity tests showed that the highest effectiveness and lowest disease severity were obtained at 1/100 dilution ratios for wood vinegar samples obtained at all temperatures.