Biochar as a Feedstock for Sustainable Fertilizers: Recent Advances and Perspectives

Marcela Granato Barbosa dos Santos, Andressa Blasi Paiva, Rhaila da Silva Rodrigues Viana, Keiji Jindo and Cícero Célio de Figueiredo ()
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Marcela Granato Barbosa dos Santos: Faculty of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia 70910-970, DF, Brazil
Andressa Blasi Paiva: Faculty of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia 70910-970, DF, Brazil
Rhaila da Silva Rodrigues Viana: Faculty of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia 70910-970, DF, Brazil
Keiji Jindo: Agrosystems Research, Wageningen University & Research, 6708 Wageningen, The Netherlands
Cícero Célio de Figueiredo: Faculty of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia 70910-970, DF, Brazil

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 8, 1-22

Abstract: The increase in the world population exerts significant pressure on expanding global agricultural production. To achieve this, the use of fertilizers is fundamental. However, highly soluble traditional chemical fertilizers can be easily leached and volatilized, causing environmental damage. Therefore, reducing the use of these fertilizers and developing new and smart fertilizers is crucial. Biochar, a solid and carbon-rich pyrolysis product, has been studied both as a standalone fertilizer and as a raw material for sustainable fertilizers. Recently, a wide variety of materials and techniques have been used in the production of biochar-based fertilizers (BBFs) and need to be grouped and critically evaluated. Thus, this study aimed to conduct a literature review on new biochar-based fertilizers, involving different routes for biochar-based fertilizer synthesis and their effects on various crops. Recent results indicate the growing interest in nanomaterials and microbial processes for producing new fertilizers. Most assessed studies use biochar to produce slow-release fertilizers. The results also indicate that these new biochar-based fertilizers increase crop yields and reduce the leaching and volatilization of nutrients in soil, demonstrating significant potential as an alternative to traditional fertilizers. Therefore, the agricultural use of biochar holds environmental importance by reducing the negative impacts caused by the use of highly soluble traditional fertilizers. However, long-term field experiments and the economic feasibility of BBF production routes must be carefully studied.

Keywords: biochar; biochar-based fertilizer; slow-release fertilizer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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