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Advances and prospects of biochar in improving soil fertility, biochemical quality, and environmental applications
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This review examines how biochar, a charcoal-like material made from organic waste, can improve soil health and clean up pollutants including microplastics. Biochar's ability to absorb and trap contaminants makes it a promising tool for reducing microplastic pollution in agricultural soil. The findings suggest biochar could help limit the amount of microplastics that enter the food chain through crops grown in contaminated soil.
With the global food deficit increasing and rising climate change issues, there is a need to find green solutions to improve soil fertility and productivity while enhancing soil biochemical quality and reducing the ecological impact of agriculture. Biochar is a potentially cost-effective, carbonaceous resource with many agricultural and environmental applications. As a soil amendment, it improves soil physical and biochemical properties and increases soil fertility and productivity—particularly over the long-term—increasing soil aggregation, water retention, pH, and microbial activities, thus, improving overall soil quality, potentially helping to reduce chemical fertilizer needs over time. The extent of biochar’s impact on soil physiochemical properties varies depending on biochar source, type, size, inherent soil characteristics, cropping system, etc. Moreover, biochar has significant potential in soil and water remediation, especially through its unique adsorption and chemical properties capable to capture and immobilize pollutants such as metal(loid)s, organic pollutants, and hazardous emerging contaminants such as microplastics. Further, biochar has also emerged as a key strategic, cost-effective material to tackle global issues such as climate change mitigation, reducing the net greenhouse gas emission to minimize global warming potential. However, a knowledge gap remains as to understanding the long-term persistence of biochar on agroecosystem, optimal biochar application rate for the diversity of biochar-soil-crop-environmental conditions, interaction of biochar with inherent soil carbon stock, specific mechanisms of biochar’s effect on soil biotic properties, quantification of carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions, synergy or potential antagonistic effects with other carbon sources such as compost, manure, residues, etc., its modification for environmental applications and associated environmental and human risks over long-term. Further research is needed to evaluate the long-term impacts of types and sizes of biochar on overall soil quality to recommend suitable application practices based on soil management and cropping system. Also, its environmental applications need to be finetuned for wider and target specific applications to tackle pressing environmental issues such as soil and water pollution.
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Biochar as an Environment-Friendly Alternative for Multiple Applications
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This review summarizes how biochar, a charcoal-like material made from plant waste, can be used for carbon storage, improving soil health, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Notably, biochar shows potential for reducing microplastic and heavy metal contamination in soil by binding these pollutants and preventing them from being absorbed by crops. This makes biochar a promising tool for protecting food safety in agricultural soils contaminated with microplastics.
Applications of biochar in the remediation of soil microplastic pollution: A review
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Researchers reviewed the use of biochar as a tool for remediating microplastic-contaminated soil. The study found that biochar application shows promise for addressing soil microplastic pollution by altering soil properties in ways that can reduce microplastic mobility and mitigate their negative effects on soil structure, plant growth, and biogeochemical cycling.
Addressing the Microplastic Dilemma in Soil and Sediment with Focus on Biochar-Based Remediation Techniques: Review
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This review examines how biochar, a carbon-rich material made from organic waste, can be used to remediate microplastic-contaminated soils and sediments. Researchers found that biochar can adsorb microplastics and reduce their mobility, while also improving overall soil health and microbial activity. The study highlights biochar-based approaches as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly strategy for addressing microplastic pollution in terrestrial environments.
Biochar as a Climate-Smart Approach for Soil Health Improvement and Nano-/Microplastic Mitigation in Sustainable Agriculture: A Review
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Tiny plastic particles are building up in farm soils, potentially getting absorbed by crops we eat—but this review of existing research suggests that biochar (a charcoal-like material made from organic waste) can act like a sponge to trap these plastics in soil before they reach our food. It also improves soil quality and helps fight climate change, though scientists still need more research to understand its limits, especially in certain soil types.
Biochar for a Plastic Planet: Unveiling Its Potential to Transform Microplastic-Contaminated Soils
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This review summarizes lab studies on biochar, a material made by heating plant or waste matter, as a soil additive for trapping microplastics and reducing their harmful effects on soil. Results varied depending on the biochar type and soil conditions, and researchers note that field testing and standardized measurement methods are still lacking.
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