Biochar is a carbonaceous material produced from the thermochemical treatment of biomass in the absence or with a limited supply of oxygen. Despite the use of carbonized biomass to improve agricultural soils over centuries, the application and interest in biochar have grown dramatically owing to its diverse applications in the environment, energy, industry, etc. This review focuses on key technologies of biochar production, comparing their advantages, disadvantages, and their effect on biochar properties. Emphasis has been placed on the physical-chemical properties of biochar (pore structure, surface chemistry, element composition, specific surface area, etc.) as well as the production parameters that control them. Approaches for modifying and activating biochar to improve performance in targeted applications are also discussed. The review further examines the growing role of biochar in pollutant removal, renewable energy systems, and catalytic transformations. In addition, recent advances in nanobiochar are highlighted, emphasizing how reducing particle dimensions to the nanoscale alters surface reactivity, adsorption behavior, and functional performance. Nanomaterials, generally defined as materials with dimensions below 100 nm, possess exceptionally high surface-to-volume ratios that can result in unique physicochemical properties not observed in their bulk counterparts. Finally, current challenges, emerging opportunities, and future pathways for the development and application of biochar-based materials are critically evaluated.
Biochar, a carbon-rich product resulting from the thermochemical transformation of organic biomass under limited oxygen condition, is currently drawing much worldwide attention due to its multiple applications in carbon sequestration, soil improvement, environmental remediation, and biomass waste management. Initially, the focus of research was primarily on the technical possibilities of biochar production, its economic aspects, and its contribution to climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration and the promotion of sustainable agriculture. Nevertheless, recent research indicates the high complexity and dynamics of biochar interactions with the environment, driven by a combination of factors like feedstock type, process conditions, biochar properties, and other factors. While biochar exhibits multiple beneficial effects, including improving soil structure, enhancing nutrient retention, promoting microbial activities, and remediating contaminants, several environmental risks associated with biochar application have also been identified, namely the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metal contamination, creation of persistent free radicals, changes in soil chemistry, and modification of soil microbial community structure. Such risks are greatly related to production process parameters, treatment methods, and biochar application practices. Moreover, differences in feedstock choice, pyrolysis temperature, reactor design, biochar application rate, and analytical methods used make comparative analysis of results difficult.
O. E. Ojewumi, Gang Chen, M. Ojewumi· Green· 0 citations
The novel technique of biochar production from food waste (FW) through pyrolysis is a proactive step towards materialising the circular economy. This review provide a detail insights on the successful utilisation of FW for biochar production and its subsequent environmental applications, along with efficiencies and mechanisms in the removal of various pollutants from wastewater. The chemical transformation during FW pyrolysis assists the resultant biochar with unique physiochemical characteristics, including structure formation, porosity, alkalinity, functional groups, polarity, cation exchange capacity and carbon structure that contribute to the efficient removal of pollutants. Based on the organic-rich nature, detailed discussions have been made on how FW could be an ideal feedstock for pyrolysis as compared to other bio-waste. Moreover, the impacts of pyrolysis temperatures on the characteristics, variations in the removal efficiencies and interactions of biochar with pollutants have been discussed. The suitability of FW biochar for environmental applications is its stability for subsequent usage without losing activity and production of secondary pollutants or by-products, as compared to other technologies. However, despite the promising benefits, FW to biochar technology is still in infancy and prone to several challenges, including scalability due to intrinsic heterogeneity, high moisture that sometimes requires an additional step of drying and grinding and variations in the physicochemical characteristics that impact the economic feasibility, scalability and end-use marketability. Hence, detailed studies on techno-economic analysis in integration with advances in FW to biochar production, applications as adsorbent, stability, and reusability after treatment to fully explore the comparison with other available similar materials.
M. Waqas, A. Nizami, O. A. Arıkan et al.· Environmental Research· 1 citation
The rising demand for sustainable, high-performance materials in electrochemical (bio)sensing (EB) has driven the exploration of carbon materials derived from renewable resources. While graphene, carbon nanotubes, and similar nanocarbons are currently leading the field, their widespread use is limited by energy-intensive synthesis processes, high costs, and dependence on non-renewable or geopolitically sensitive materials. In this setting, biochar, a carbon-rich, porous material produced by controlled pyrolysis of biomass, has gained attention as a versatile form of disordered carbon with inherent electrochemical properties. Beyond sustainability, biochar (BC) provides tunable surface chemistry, hierarchical porosity, and electronic properties, all influenced by feedstock type and pyrolysis conditions. These features enable effective biomolecule immobilization, defect-mediated charge transport, and competitive performance in enzymatic, immunological, and nucleic acid biosensors across various applications. This review critically explores how structure-function relationships influence biochar behavior, linking feedstock selection, thermal processing, and post-synthesis modifications, such as activation and heteroatom doping, to device performance. We examine various integration methods, from traditional electrode modifications to printed and additively manufactured devices, and discuss challenges related to reproducibility, standardization, and scalability. While the main emphasis is on BC-based biosensors, we also include selected studies on technological advancements in incorporating BC into innovative electroanalytical platforms, as these provide a valuable foundation for the future development of biosensors and bioanalytical devices. This article presents a rational framework for proposing biochar as a scalable and sustainable source for next-generation electrochemical and biosensing technologies, spanning from material design to electroanalytical needs.
R. Cancelliere, G. Rea, A. Sierra Padilla et al.· Biosensors & bioelectronics· 0 citations
Microplastics (MPs) pollution in aquatic environment is considered as a critical environmental issue because of widespread and increasing use of plastics worldwide. Hence, engineered biochar known for its superior surface characteristics, enhanced surface area, greater porous structure and versatility has appeared as a sustainable and potential material for effective MPs removal from wastewater. To date, engineered biochar for MPs removal has received limited attention in reviews. Therefore, this article systematically summarizes the biochar production from low-cost and nature-friendly materials and potential modification methods to develop engineered biochars with improved performance for MPs adsorption from wastewater. Engineered biochar shows significantly higher adsorption compared to raw or pristine biochar. In this review, we critically examine emerging and novel biochar modification methods—including treatment with acid/bases, oxidizing agents, metallic oxides, non-metal compounds, clay minerals and nanomaterials which are typically applied for enhanced MPs removal from wastewater. Moreover, the discussion provides insights into the MPs removal mechanisms and the environmental factors that impact the adsorption performance of engineered biochar. We also discuss the costs of producing biochar and regeneration methods to restore its effectiveness thus revealing its viability and economic feasibility. It is anticipated that this critical review will provide comprehensive scientific breakthroughs for resolving the hot issue of MPs contamination in wastewater by proving engineered biochar application as an economical and nature-friendly solution. At the end, review outlines the present scientific knowledge, research gaps, and recommendations needed to advance technologies for mitigating MPs pollution from wastewater using engineered biochar.
M. B. Shakoor, Karolina Mierzyńska, Fakhra Sharif et al.· Environmental Geochemistry a...· 0 citations
Biochar is a porous carbonaceous material synthesized through the pyrolysis of diverse biomass resources, including agricultural and forestry residues as well as livestock manure. It possesses superior characteristics such as a large specific surface area, adjustable pore architecture, abundant surface functional groups, and favorable electrical conductivity. With the increasingly severe global energy shortage and environmental pollution problems in recent years, biochar has emerged as a green, low-cost functional material with distinct application superiority in multiple key research directions, including energy storage and conversion, chemical catalysis, environmental restoration, and signal sensing and detection. This study comprehensively summarizes the latest research advances of biochar in the aforementioned application fields, focusing on innovative achievements in photocatalytic and electrocatalytic hydrogen generation, supercapacitors and electrochemical energy storage systems, persulfate activation technology, carbon dioxide capture, remediation of heavy metal and organic contaminants, volatile organic compound (VOC) adsorption, as well as electrochemical sensing devices. Existing research results demonstrate that modification strategies including metal and non-metal doping, surface oxidation treatment, and compounding with semiconductors or metal oxide materials can effectively improve the catalytic activity and functional performance of biochar. Furthermore, this paper prospects the future interdisciplinary development trends of biochar, analyzes the existing research gaps in mechanism exploration, structural optimization design, and industrial large-scale preparation, and provides theoretical and practical references for the further popularization and application of biochar in sustainable energy development and environmental governance fields.
Xi Luo, Yi-heng Lu, Guang-Teng Bai et al.· Molecules· 0 citations
This article aims to systematically review the research advancements of biochar in the field of wastewater pollutant adsorption and explore its application potential and challenges as an environmentally friendly adsorbent material. With the acceleration of industrialization and urbanization, the massive discharge of various organic and inorganic pollutants into water bodies poses severe threats to both ecosystems and human health, making the development of efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable water treatment technologies a critical focus in environmental engineering. Biochar, a porous carbon material produced through pyrolysis of biomass under oxygen-deficient conditions, demonstrates significant advantages in adsorbing and removing pollutants such as heavy metal ions, organic dyes, drug residues, and nutrients due to its extensive pore structure, large specific surface area, and surface-modifiable functional groups. Starting from theoretical foundations, this paper elucidates how raw materials and pyrolysis conditions critically influence biochar's physicochemical properties, as well as the key mechanisms involved in adsorption—including pore filling, electrostatic attraction, surface complexation, ion exchange, and π-π interactions. Subsequently, it reviews current domestic and international research on biochar's performance in adsorbing various pollutants, analyzes the relationships between raw material selection, modification methods (e.g., acid/alkali treatment, metal loading, composite construction), and adsorption efficiency, and evaluates the effects of adsorption parameters such as pH, temperature, initial pollutant concentration, and contact duration. Although studies confirm biochar's ability to significantly reduce pollutant concentrations, its practical applications face challenges including limited adsorption capacity, insufficient selectivity, unstable regeneration performance, and potential ecological risks. This paper provides a comprehensive review of existing research and emphasizes that future studies should focus on optimizing biochar performance through green modification strategies, investigating its synergistic adsorption mechanisms in complex wastewater systems, evaluating its long-term environmental safety, and facilitating its transition from laboratory research to large-scale water treatment applications, thereby providing more practical technical references for wastewater treatment.
Chunbao Tian, Min Li, Mei Chen et al.· International Journal of Nat...· 0 citations
