Biochar Role in the Sustainability of Agriculture and Environment

Muhammad Ayaz, Dalia Feizienė, Vita Tilvikienė, Kashif Akhtar, Urte Stulpinaitė and Rashid Iqbal
Additional contact information
Muhammad Ayaz: Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Center for Agriculture and Forestry, LT-58344 Kedainiu r, Lithuania
Dalia Feizienė: Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Center for Agriculture and Forestry, LT-58344 Kedainiu r, Lithuania
Vita Tilvikienė: Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Center for Agriculture and Forestry, LT-58344 Kedainiu r, Lithuania
Kashif Akhtar: Institute of Nuclear Agricultural Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Urte Stulpinaitė: Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Center for Agriculture and Forestry, LT-58344 Kedainiu r, Lithuania
Rashid Iqbal: Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Punjab, Pakistan

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-22

Abstract: The exercise of biochar in agribusiness has increased proportionally in recent years. It has been indicated that biochar application could strengthen soil fertility benefits, such as improvement in soil microbial activity, abatement of bulk density, amelioration of nutrient and water-holding capacity and immutability of soil organic matter. Additionally, biochar amendment could also improve nutrient availability such as phosphorus and nitrogen in different types of soil. Most interestingly, the locally available wastes are pyrolyzed to biochar to improve the relationship among plants, soil and the environment. This can also be of higher importance to small-scale farming, and the biochar produced can be utilized in farms for the improvement of crop productivity. Thus, biochar could be a potential amendment to a soil that could help in achieving sustainable agriculture and environment. However, before mainstream formulation and renowned biochar use, several challenges must be taken into consideration, as the beneficial impacts and potential use of biochar seem highly appealing. This review is based on confined knowledge taken from different field-, laboratory- and greenhouse-based studies. It is well known that the properties of biochar vary with feedstock, pyrolysis temperature (300, 350, 400, 500, and 600 °C) and methodology of preparation. It is of high concern to further investigate the negative consequences: hydrophobicity; large scale application in farmland; production cost, primarily energy demand; and environmental threat, as well as affordability of feedstock. Nonetheless, the current literature reflects that biochar could be a significant amendment to the agroecosystem in order to tackle the challenges and threats observed in sustainable agriculture (crop production and soil fertility) and the environment (reducing greenhouse gas emission).

Keywords: biochar; food security; socio-economics benefits; sustainable agriculture; sustainable environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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