Next Article in Journal
Radiolytic Breakdown of PFOS by Neutron Irradiation: Mechanistic Insights into Molecular Disassembly and Cytotoxicity Reduction
Previous Article in Journal
Effect of Organic Soil Amendments and Vineyard Topographic Position on the Chemical Composition of Syrah, Trincadeira, Alicante Bouschet, and Antão Vaz Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) in the Alentejo Wine Region
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Environments
Volume 13
Issue 1
10.3390/environments13010045
environments-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Review

A Comprehensive Review on Sewage Sludge Biochar: Characterization Methods and Practical Applications

by
Erofili-Vagia Gkogkou
1,
Alkistis Kanteraki
1,
Ekavi Aikaterini Isari
1,
Eleni Grilla
1,
Ioannis D. Manariotis
2,
Ioannis Kalavrouziotis
1 and
Petros Kokkinos
1,*
1
Laboratory of Sustainable Waste Management Technologies, School of Science and Technology, Hellenic Open University, Building D, 1st Floor, Parodos Aristotelous 18, 263 35 Patras, Greece
2
Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Patras, 265 04 Patras, Greece
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Environments 2026, 13(1), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments13010045 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 24 November 2025 / Revised: 3 January 2026 / Accepted: 5 January 2026 / Published: 9 January 2026
Versions Notes

Abstract

Sewage sludge (SS) management and wastewater (WW) treatment remain among the most critical environmental challenges. The pyrolysis of sewage sludge to produce biochar (BC) represents a sustainable and circular strategy for waste valorization and pollution mitigation. This scoping review provides a comprehensive overview of BC derived from SS (BCxSS), with particular emphasis on how pyrolysis conditions affect key physicochemical characteristics such as yield, ash content, pH, surface area, and functional groups. Although substantial research has focused on the removal of heavy metals and organic pollutants using BCxSS, far less attention has been directed toward its potential for pathogen adsorption and inactivation, revealing a notable research gap. Recent studies highlight BCxSS as a versatile material with considerable promise in adsorption and catalysis. However, its application in pathogen removal remains insufficiently investigated, underscoring the need for further investigation into sorption mechanisms and biochar–microbe interactions.
Keywords: biochar; sewage sludge; pyrolysis; adsorption; wastewater treatment; waste-to-waste; circular economy biochar; sewage sludge; pyrolysis; adsorption; wastewater treatment; waste-to-waste; circular economy

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Gkogkou, E.-V.; Kanteraki, A.; Isari, E.A.; Grilla, E.; Manariotis, I.D.; Kalavrouziotis, I.; Kokkinos, P. A Comprehensive Review on Sewage Sludge Biochar: Characterization Methods and Practical Applications. Environments 2026, 13, 45. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments13010045

AMA Style

Gkogkou E-V, Kanteraki A, Isari EA, Grilla E, Manariotis ID, Kalavrouziotis I, Kokkinos P. A Comprehensive Review on Sewage Sludge Biochar: Characterization Methods and Practical Applications. Environments. 2026; 13(1):45. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments13010045

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gkogkou, Erofili-Vagia, Alkistis Kanteraki, Ekavi Aikaterini Isari, Eleni Grilla, Ioannis D. Manariotis, Ioannis Kalavrouziotis, and Petros Kokkinos. 2026. "A Comprehensive Review on Sewage Sludge Biochar: Characterization Methods and Practical Applications" Environments 13, no. 1: 45. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments13010045

APA Style

Gkogkou, E.-V., Kanteraki, A., Isari, E. A., Grilla, E., Manariotis, I. D., Kalavrouziotis, I., & Kokkinos, P. (2026). A Comprehensive Review on Sewage Sludge Biochar: Characterization Methods and Practical Applications. Environments, 13(1), 45. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments13010045

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop