Biochar: A new environmental paradigm in management of agricultural soils and mitigation of GHG emission

Abstract

Biochar, a co-product of the pyrolytic conversion of biomass and biowastes to biofuel is a carbon rich recalcitrant material. It has received much attention in the recent times for its prospective application in various fields viz. as a soil amendment for improving the physical, chemical, and biological qualities of agricultural soils, as an adsorbent for removal of various organic and inorganic contaminants in water, for removal of pesticides residues in soil, for correcting soil acidity, as a precursor for chemical synthesis, for industrial applications such as supercapacitor application, as a support material for fuel cells, for enhancement in biogas generation to name a few. In addition to all these, biochar's green-house gas mitigation potential, and C-sequestration potential are two most significant attributes that has made biochar a suitable component for SDGs. Further, these applications have made biochar as one of the most researched topics in recent times. The ease of biochar production is also another advantage which can be beneficial for farmers even with a marginal land holding. In this chapter, an attempt has been made to discuss the role of biochar in management of agricultural soils, as well as its vast environmental application possibilities.