Preparation of Biochar and Biochar Composites and Their Application

Dear Colleagues,

At the global level, governments and society are facing significant challenges in the mitigation of climate change, which presents an urgent threat to the future of our planet. These challenges involve the reduction in greenhouse gases emissions, the conservation of water resources, and the improvement of waste management. In this sense, the implementation of technologies that contribute to the promotion of sustainable development, from a social, environmental, and economic point of view, is essential.

The production of biochar through pyrolysis is critical to alleviating the effects of climate change, since biochar is rich in recalcitrant carbon and can be used as a soil carbon sink. In addition, it can help to reduce potential greenhouse emissions. Biochar is obtained from biomass materials, such as bioenergy crops, forest residues, organic waste, agricultural waste, and sewage sludge, among others. This material has been highlighted for its many environmental and economic benefits and offers a promising source of carbonaceous products that can be used for numerous applications, including as adsorbents and in catalyst support, heavy metal removal, wastewater treatment, soil remediation, energy production and storage, activated carbon substitution, CO₂ adsorption, soil amendment, microbial fuel cell electrodes, and supercapacitor electrodes. Particular biochar physicochemical features, which vary depend on the feedstock sources and pyrolysis conditions utilized during its manufacture, include a high adsorption capacity, specific surface area, microporosity, and ion exchange capacity.

The growth in research on the production of biochar for numerous applications in recent years is remarkable. However, some issues remain unresolved, such as the cost of the technology and the presence of potential environmental contaminants. This Special Issue “Preparation of Biochar and Biochar Composites and Their Application”, will focus on advances in research on the production and characterization of biochar and biochar composites, evaluating the process conditions and appropriate characterization techniques as well their applications.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Preparation and characterization of biochar and biochar composites;
• Carbon sequestration by  biochar and biochar composites;
• The development of adsorbents using biochar and biochar composites;
• The thermal conversion of biomass for applications in soil;
• Removal of pollutants using biochar;
• Wastewater treatment using biochar and biochar composites;
• Studies aiming to improve biochar properties and applications.

Prospects for the future development of biochar and biochar-based composites.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Gabriela Carvalho Collazzo
Dr. Angélica Fátima Mantelli Streit
Guest Editors

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• thermochemical conversion
• pyrolysis
• biochar
• biofuels
• adsorbents
• residues
• biomass
• wastewater treatment