Biochar properties and eco-friendly applications for climate change mitigation, waste management, and wastewater treatment: A review

Naveed Ahmed Qambrani, Md. Mukhlesur Rahman, Seunggun Won, Soomin Shim and Changsix Ra

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, vol. 79, issue C, 255-273

Abstract: Pyrolysis is one of the most promising technologies for the conversion of biomass into high-value products such as bio-oil, syngas, and biochar in the absence of oxygen. High yield biochar can be produced through torrefaction or slow pyrolysis. The efficiency of biochar production from biomass is highly dependent on the pyrolysis temperature, heating rate, type and composition of feedstock, particle size, and reactor conditions. Application of biochar to agriculture may have a significant effect on reducing global warming through the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the sequestering of atmospheric carbon into soil. At the same time, biochar can help improve soil health and fertility, and enhance agricultural production. Livestock manure, along with waste-feed residues and bedding materials, is a potential source of biochar. This waste emits significant amounts of GHGs adding to global warming and threatening the environment in other ways. The environmental challenges caused by agricultural and animal-waste disposal can be reduced by recycling the waste using pyrolysis, into biochar, energy, and value-added products. Biochar can act as a sorbent for organic and inorganic contaminants and can efficiently remove these materials from affected waters. Contaminant removal is mainly based on the presence of functional groups and charges on the surface of the biochar. Thus, biochar can help to improve food security by contributing to sustainable production systems and maintaining an eco-friendly environment. This review details the principles and concepts involved in biochar production, the factors that affect biochar quality, as well as the applications of biochar.

Keywords: Biochar; Carbon sequestration; GHG mitigation; Soil fertility; Waste management; Wastewater treatment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (36)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032117306937
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:rensus:v:79:y:2017:i:c:p:255-273

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 600126/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2017.05.057

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews is currently edited by L. Kazmerski

More articles in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().