International Journal of Recycling of Organic Waste in Agriculture (IJROWA) Reclamation of poultry litter for the production of biochar Volume 12 (2023) Special Issue, August 2023 2023 11 17 Reclamation of poultry litter for the production of biochar 10.30486/ijrowa.2023.1960315.1490 EN Rose Erdoo Kukwa Department of Chemistry and Centre of Excellence for Food Technology and Research (CEFTER) Benue State Universi-ty, Makurdi, Nigeria Donald Tyoker Kukwa Department of Chemistry and Centre of Excellence for Food Technology and Research (CEFTER) Benue State Universi-ty, Makurdi, Nigeria Samson Saater Barnabas Department of Chemistry and Centre of Excellence for Food Technology and Research (CEFTER) Benue State Universi-ty, Makurdi, Nigeria Journal Article 2023 11 17 Purpose: Poor management of chicken litter by the poultry industry has caused many environmental issues. Biochar’s unique characteristics make poultry litter-to-biochar conversion an intriguing management option thus, could be utilized as an organic fertilizer for plant nutrients. In this research, poultry litter was converted into biochar, which offers a range of possible applications, including analyzing key nutrients, improving air and water quality, conditioning soil, and neutralizing acidic soils. Method: Fresh poultry litter was pyrolyzed for 20 minutes at a temperature of 500 oC in an oxygen-restricted muffle furnace to produce biochar. The biochar was examined chemically and physically using a variety of techniques. These included microwave plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (MP-AES), the scanning electron microscope (SEM), the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA and DTG). Results: The pyrolysis output was 56.38%, 32.20% ash, 2.00% moisture, 0.60 kg/m3 bulk density, pH 9.65, and 0.00314 dS/m EC. The mineral elemental analysis gave 621.73 mg/kg calcium, 63.65 mg/kg potassium, 48.94 mg/kg magnesium, 13.14 mg/kg sodium, and 11.85 mg/kg phosphorus.  FTIR showed the presence of functional groups which could act as cation adsorbents. SEM pictures showed the sample’s amorphous, non-uniform surface. TGA and DTG curves showed mass loss and sample breakdown as the temperature climbed. Conclusion: Poultry litter converted to biochar can act as a nutrient-rich soil conditioner to address mineral deficits in fruits and vegetables grown in acidic soils. This is a good way to recycle agricultural trash.   Highlights Pyrolysis process was engaged for the conversion of poultry litter to biochar with high pH and electrical conductivity The biochar was found to contain high concentration of mineral elements such as Ca, K, Mg, Na and P The biochar was further characterized using FTIR and Thermal Analysis which revealed functional groups characteristics of biochar and three areas of mass loss respectively The biochar can be used to improve the soil condition as well as neutralize acidic soils