Biochar modulating soil biological health: A review

Shiv Bolan; Shailja Sharma; Santanu Mukherjee; Manish Kumar; Ch Srinivasa Rao; K C Nataraj; Gurwinder Singh; Ajayan Vinu; Arnab Bhowmik; Harmandeep Sharma; Ali El-Naggar; Scott X Chang; Deyi Hou; Jörg Rinklebe; Hailong Wang; Kadambot H M Siddique; Lynette K Abbott; M B Kirkham; Nanthi Bolan

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169585

Biochar modulating soil biological health: A review

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Mar 1:914:169585. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169585. Epub 2023 Dec 27.

Authors

Shiv Bolan¹, Shailja Sharma², Santanu Mukherjee³, Manish Kumar⁴, Ch Srinivasa Rao⁵, K C Nataraj⁶, Gurwinder Singh⁷, Ajayan Vinu⁷, Arnab Bhowmik⁸, Harmandeep Sharma⁸, Ali El-Naggar⁹, Scott X Chang¹⁰, Deyi Hou¹¹, Jörg Rinklebe¹², Hailong Wang¹³, Kadambot H M Siddique¹⁴, Lynette K Abbott¹⁴, M B Kirkham¹⁵, Nanthi Bolan¹⁶

Affiliations

¹ UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia; The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia; Healthy Environments And Lives (HEAL) National Research Network, Australia.
² School of Biological & Environmental Sciences, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan 173229, India.
³ School of Agriculture, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan 173229, India.
⁴ Amity Institute of Environmental Sciences, Amity University, Noida, India.
⁵ ICAR-National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad 500 030, India.
⁶ Agricultural Research Station, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Anantapur 515 001, Andhra Pradesh, India.
⁷ Global Innovative Centre for Advanced Nanomaterials (GICAN), College of Engineering, Science, and Environment (CESE), The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
⁸ Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC, United States of America.
⁹ Department of Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11241, Egypt; State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, People's Republic of China; Department of Renewable Resources, 442 Earth Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada.
¹⁰ Department of Renewable Resources, 442 Earth Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada.
¹¹ School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China.
¹² University of Wuppertal, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Institute of Foundation Engineering, Water- and Waste-Management, Laboratory of Soil- and Groundwater-Management, Pauluskirchstraße 7, 42285 Wuppertal, Germany.
¹³ Biochar Engineering Technology Research Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong 528000, People's Republic of China.
¹⁴ UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia; The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
¹⁵ Department of Agronomy, Throckmorton Plant Sciences Center, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, United States of America.
¹⁶ UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia; The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia; Healthy Environments And Lives (HEAL) National Research Network, Australia. Electronic address: Nanthi.Bolan@uwa.edu.au.

PMID: 38157897
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169585

Abstract

Biochar can be used for multifunctional applications including the improvement of soil health and carbon storage, remediation of contaminated soil and water resources, mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and odorous compounds, and feed supplementation to improve animal health. A healthy soil preserves microbial biodiversity that is effective in supressing plant pathogens and pests, recycling nutrients for plant growth, promoting positive symbiotic associations with plant roots, improving soil structure to supply water and nutrients, and ultimately enhancing soil productivity and plant growth. As a soil amendment, biochar assures soil biological health through different processes. First, biochar supports habitats for microorganisms due to its porous nature and by promoting the formation of stable soil micro-aggregates. Biochar also serves as a carbon and nutrient source. Biochar alters soil physical and chemical properties, creating optimum soil conditions for microbial diversity. Biochar can also immobilize soil pollutants and reduce their bioavailability that would otherwise inhibit microbial growth. However, depending on the pyrolysis settings and feedstock resources, biochar can be comprised of contaminants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and potentially toxic elements that can inhibit microbial activity, thereby impacting soil health.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Carbon
Charcoal / chemistry
Environmental Pollution
Soil Pollutants* / chemistry
Soil* / chemistry

Substances

biochar
Soil
Charcoal
Carbon
Soil Pollutants