A Review of the Unintended Consequences of Biochar in Various Applications
Date
Authors
Vivekanandhan, S
Kaynak, E
Wang, D
Shanmugam, V
Bifulco, A
Diarte Almada, J
Piri, IS
Wang, Z
Padhye, LP
Kim, NK
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
Degree name
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Wiley-VCH
Abstract
Sustainable development strategies, including biomass waste valorization and life cycle-based carbon management approaches, are being adopted worldwide to mitigate climate change and reduce pollution. Numerous materials or products are under development to meet the demands related to a lowered carbon footprint, higher safety, access to renewable energy, and so on. One such material is biochar, which has been employed in a plethora of applications, areas ranging from soil amendment, polymer composites, energy storage and conversion, building materials, to environmental remediation. However, no two biochars are created equal. This disparity in inherent material properties in biochar means that they should be subjected to effective engineering to tailor their properties to a specific targeted application. This means that a biochar that is suitable for concrete applications may not be appropriate for polymer composite applications. Even biochar properties that were designed for a specific application may not have the desired or expected impact. This can lead to several negative effects of biochar. Hence, this article has collated and reviewed the instances where biochar has had unintended consequences in different applications. Using the knowledge presented herein, researchers can be aware of the potential disadvantages of biochar applications and take necessary steps to abate the negative effects.Description
Keywords
41 Environmental Sciences, 40 Engineering, 4016 Materials Engineering, 4104 Environmental Management, 7 Affordable and Clean Energy, 13 Climate Action, 12 Responsible Consumption and Production, 4017 Mechanical engineering, biochar, building materials, energy, environmental remediation, materials
Source
Advanced Energy & Sustainability Research, ISSN: 2699-9412 (Print); 2699-9412 (Online), Wiley-VCH, 7(5). doi: 10.1002/aesr.202500505
Publisher's version
Rights statement
© 2026 The Author(s). Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research published by Wiley-VCH GmbH. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.