Also: charcoal (agricultural), pyrolysed biomass
Biochar is charcoal made by heating plant waste with little oxygen. Added to soil it can store carbon for a long time, and its porous surface soaks up pollutants. It is also being mixed into concrete.
Readiness: lab lab studies · prototype demonstrated objects · commercial products or buildings in real use · review summaries of other studies.
Assessed the agronomic value of greenwaste biochar as a soil amendment.
Built / tested: soil amendments
As reported in: Chan, Van Zwieten, Meszaros et al. (2007). Agronomic values of greenwaste biochar as a soil amendment. Soil Research. doi:10.1071/sr07109
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A synthesis of biochar's agronomic impact beyond carbon sequestration.
As reported in: Spokas, Cantrell, Novak et al. (2012). Biochar: A Synthesis of Its Agronomic Impact beyond Carbon Sequestration. Journal of Environmental Quality. doi:10.2134/jeq2011.0069
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Manufactured and evaluated mechanical properties of novel biochar-concrete composites.
Built / tested: concrete samples
As reported in: Akhtar, Sarmah (2018). Novel biochar-concrete composites: Manufacturing, characterization and evaluation of the mechanical properties. Science of The Total Environment. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.319
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A review of adsorption, regeneration and engineering applications of biochar for removing organic pollutants.
As reported in: Dai, Zhang, Xing et al. (2019). The adsorption, regeneration and engineering applications of biochar for removal organic pollutants: A review. Chemosphere. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.01.161
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A review of biochar as a low-cost adsorbent for heavy metals in water.
As reported in: Inyang, Gao, Yao et al. (2015). A review of biochar as a low-cost adsorbent for aqueous heavy metal removal. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology. doi:10.1080/10643389.2015.1096880
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