article · International Materials Reviews
Biochar is a charred material created through pyrolysis, a process involving the thermochemical decomposition of organic matter at high temperatures without oxygen. It possesses a high surface area and numerous functional groups. Initially, biochar was recognised for its stable carbon content, making it suitable for carbon storage as a soil amendment. However, its applications extend significantly beyond this, encompassing a wide range of multifunctional uses. These include improving soil health, acting as a carrier for nutrients and microbes, immobilising toxic metals and organic contaminants in soil and water, serving as a catalyst in industrial processes, and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and odorous compounds. It can also be used as a feed supplement to enhance animal health and nutrient intake efficiency.
Understanding biochar's multiple uses is crucial because it offers sustainable solutions across various sectors. From improving agricultural productivity and environmental remediation to industrial applications and climate change mitigation, biochar presents a versatile material with significant potential to address pressing global challenges.
The abstract highlights several potential application pathways for biochar, including its use as a soil amendment for agriculture, an agent for environmental remediation of contaminated soil and water, an industrial catalyst, and a feed supplement for livestock. These applications appear to be established or under investigation, suggesting a range of opportunities for product development and service provision in environmental management, agriculture, and industrial processes. The abstract does not indicate a specific readiness level for these applications.
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Biochar is produced as a charred material with high surface area and abundant functional groups by pyrolysis, which refers to the process of thermochemical decomposition of organic material at elevated temperatures in the absence of oxygen. The carbon component in biochar is relatively stable, and, hence, biochar was originally proposed as a soil amendment to store carbon in the soil. Biochar has multifunctional values that include the use of it for the following purposes: soil amendment to improve soil health, nutrient and microbial carrier, immobilising agent for remediation of toxic metals and organic contaminants in soil and water, catalyst for industrial applications, porous material for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and odorous compounds, and feed supplement to improve animal health and nutrient intake efficiency and, thus, productivity. This article provides for the first time an overview of the multifunctional values and unintended consequences of biochar applications.
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DOI: 10.1080/09506608.2021.1922047
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