Biochar production, activation, and applications: A comprehensive technical review
Our planet has been facing critical challenges since the late 20th century, including climate change, resource shortages, environmental degradation and pollution, demanding urgent and sustainable solutions. Biochar, a carbon-rich material produced from biomass pyrolysis, has gained attention for its great potentials in environmental remediation, pollutant removals, carbon neutrality, soil amendment, building materials, etc. The performance of biochar in these applications is highly related to its physicochemical properties, which are influenced by the feedstock and the preparation/activation methods. This paper reviews a wide range of biochar produced from various feedstocks and their performance in different applications. Advanced characterisations are discussed to unveil the fundamental mechanisms and provide insights for further improvement and optimization. The techno-economic analysis evaluates the feasibility, challenges, and opportunities for scaling up and adopting biochar in potential applications. By focusing on biochar's multifunctionality and sustainability, this paper provides a reference for future research on developing biochar as a green technology with environmental and economic benefits.
Authors
- Hongman Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9225-0362)
- Yuanting Qiao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7741-9278)
- Dongdong Feng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0363-7958)
- Salman Masoudi Soltani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5983-0397)
- Sam Fong Yau Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2092-9226)
- Daxin Liang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3220-0555)
- Sean R. McIntyre
- Xinying Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0303-8093)
- Gang Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8306-2076)
- Xiangzhou Yuan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6480-3983)
- Wei Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7839-8456)
- Shouliang Yi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8305-6322)
- Huiyan Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4818-7156)
- Jianrui Zha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4117-4405)
- Xiefei Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1320-2456)
- Wu Chunfei
- Ye Shui Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0095-3015)
- Xiaohong Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5772-8516)
- J.F. Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3898-9064)
- Shuang Zong
- Shengkai Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8778-057X)
- Paul Iacomi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5477-1503)
- Zhenyu Cheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7240-9126)
- Lina Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7846-2454)
- Paul T. Williams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0401-9326)
- Xiaoxiao Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4179-9384)
- Ning Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3033-0276)
- Xiong Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1499-5761)
- Yanke Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3200-3269)
- Yongliang Yan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4297-6648)
- L. Sun
- Fei Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7949-1897)
- Haiping Yang
- Yang Cao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7448-8198)
- Katie Everden
Publication Details
- Journal
- Carbon Capture Science & Technology
- Published
- 2025-04-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccst.2025.100421
- Citations
- 15
- Primary Topic
- Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 12.26