BIOCHAR: PYROGENIC CARBON FOR AGRICULTURAL USE - A CRITICAL REVIEW
Open Access
- 1 April 2015
- journal article
- Published by FapUNIFESP (SciELO) in Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo
- Vol. 39 (2), 321-344
- https://doi.org/10.1590/01000683rbcs20140818
Abstract
Biochar (carbonized biomass for agricultural use) has been used worldwide as soil amendment and is a technology of particular interest for Brazil, since its "inspiration" is from the historical Terra Preta de Índios(Amazon Dark Earth), and also because Brazil is the world's largest charcoal producer, generating enormous residue quantities in form of fine charcoal and due to the availability of different residual biomasses, mainly from agroindustry (e.g., sugar-cane bagasse; wood and paper-mill wastes; residues from biofuel industries; sewage sludge etc), that can be used for biochar production, making Brazil a key actor in the international scenario in terms of biochar research and utilization). In the last decade, numerous studies on biochar have been carried out and now a vast literature, and excellent reviews, are available. The objective of this paper is therefore to deliver a critical review with some highlights on biochar research, rather than an exhaustive bibliographic review. To this end, some key points considered critical and relevant were selected and the pertinent literature "condensed", with a view to guide future research, rather than analyze trends of the past.Keywords
This publication has 101 references indexed in Scilit:
- Impacts of adding biochar on nitrogen retention and bioavailability in agricultural soilGeoderma, 2013
- Heterogeneity of biochar properties as a function of feedstock sources and production temperaturesJournal of Hazardous Materials, 2013
- Microwave and slow pyrolysis biochar—Comparison of physical and functional propertiesJournal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 2013
- Chemical characterization of rice straw-derived biochar for soil amendmentBiomass and Bioenergy, 2012
- Surface chemistry variations among a series of laboratory-produced biocharsGeoderma, 2011
- Impact of biochar amendments on the quality of a typical Midwestern agricultural soilGeoderma, 2010
- Overview of recent advances in thermo-chemical conversion of biomassEnergy Conversion and Management, 2010
- A simplified method for the quantification of pyrogenic organic matter in grassland soils via chemical oxidationGeoderma, 2008
- How useful is chemical oxidation with dichromate for the determination of “Black Carbon” in fire-affected soils?Geoderma, 2007
- Properties of black soil humic acids from high altitude rocky complexes in BrazilGeoderma, 2005