Biochar – An essential component for soil enhancement, plant development and environmental cleanup

Year 2023, Volume: 18 Issue: 1, 33 - 39, 30.03.2023

Sudip Pandey

Abstract

Biochar is a valuable product that can be produced in combination with bio-energy in a cascading approach to make the best use of available resources. It is persistent and beneficial to the soil. This review systematically analyzed and summarize the beneficial aspects of biochar for soil quality improvement, plant growth and environmental remediation. Also, this review provides an overview of the research conducted on biochar till data in Nepal. Study reported the effects of biochar depend on the quality of materials and the type of soil where it is going to be utilized. If site-specific soil limits and nutrient/water limitations are reduced by proper biochar formulations, crop yields significantly rise. The application of biochar in carbon sequestration should be further investigated at similar experimental conditions to obtain consistent results. A study suggested that the effect of biochar on soil microbes should be further investigated to elucidate the dominant reason for the improvement of soil fertility based on different soil and feedstock. In summary, biochar has a wide application prospect in environmental remediation and should be further investigated.

Keywords

biochar, carbon sequestration, plant growth, soil fertility

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