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The role of biochar in combating microplastic pollution: a bibliometric analysis in environmental contexts
Summary
This bibliometric review used network analysis to map the growing body of research on biochar — a charcoal-like material made from burned organic matter — as a tool for countering microplastic contamination in soils and water. Studies reviewed suggest that biochar can restore soil chemistry, improve microbial diversity, and boost crop yields by 30–81% even when microplastic contamination is high. The findings highlight biochar as a practical, low-cost intervention for farmers dealing with microplastic-polluted land.
This study employs a bibliometric analysis using CiteSpace to explore research trends on the impact of biochar on microplastics (MPs) in soil and water environments. In agricultural soils, MPs reduce crop yield, alter soil properties, and disrupt microbial diversity and nutrient cycling. Biochar, a stable and eco-friendly material, has demonstrated effectiveness in mitigating these effects by restoring soil chemistry, enhancing microbial diversity and improving crop productivity. Recent studies report that biochar increases crop yields by 30-81%, even under high MP contamination levels (up to five times that of biochar-modified bacteria). Additionally, biochar enhances Olsen-P availability by 46.6%, increases soil organic carbon in microaggregates by 35.7%, and reduces antibiotic resistance genes by promoting beneficial microbes such as Subgroup 10, Bacillus, and Pseudomonas. In aquatic systems, biochar serves as an efficient adsorbent, particularly for MPs larger than 10 µm, including polystyrene. Studies suggest that fixed-column models achieve superior removal efficiency (95.31% ± 5.26%) compared to batch systems (93.36% ± 4.92%). Specifically, for MPs ≥10 µm, fixed columns reach 99% efficiency, while magnetically modified biochar captures 96.2% of MPs as small as 1 µm. These efficiencies stem from biochar's integration of physical and chemical mechanisms that enhance MP retention, particularly for MPs smaller than 10 µm, positioning it as a promising solution for nanoplastic remediation.