Biochar for Soil Fertility and Climate Mitigation: Review on Feedstocks, Pyrolysis Conditions, Functional Properties, and Applications with Emerging AI Integration

Marin, Florian; Tanislav, Oana Maria; Constantinescu, Marius; Roman, Antoaneta; Bucura, Felicia; Oancea, Simona; Zaharioiu, Anca Maria

doi:10.3390/agriculture15222345

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Biochar for Soil Fertility and Climate Mitigation: Review on Feedstocks, Pyrolysis Conditions, Functional Properties, and Applications with Emerging AI Integration

by

Florian Marin

^1,2

,

Oana Maria Tanislav

^1,2,

Marius Constantinescu

¹,

Antoaneta Roman

^1,3,

Felicia Bucura

¹,

Simona Oancea

²

and

Anca Maria Zaharioiu

^1,*

¹

National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies—ICSI, 4th Uzinei Street, 240050 Ramnicu Valcea, Romania

²

Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Food Industry and Environmental Protection, “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, 7-9 I. Ratiu Street, 550012 Sibiu, Romania

³

Doctoral School of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, U.N.S.T. Politehnica of Bucharest, Gheorghe Polizu Street 1-7, District 1, 011061 Bucharest, Romania

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Agriculture 2025, 15(22), 2345; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15222345

Submission received: 25 September 2025 / Revised: 3 November 2025 / Accepted: 5 November 2025 / Published: 11 November 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biochar-Based Fertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture: Feedstocks, Production, and Effects on the Soil-Plant System)

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Abstract

Soil degradation, declining fertility, and rising greenhouse gas emissions highlight the urgent need for sustainable soil management strategies. Among them, biochar has gained recognition as a multifunctional material capable of enhancing soil fertility, sequestering carbon, and valorizing biomass residues within circular economy frameworks. This review synthesizes evidence from 186 peer-reviewed studies to evaluate how feedstock diversity, pyrolysis temperature, and elemental composition shape the agronomic and environmental performance of biochar. Crop residues dominated the literature (17.6%), while wood, manures, sewage sludge, and industrial by-products provided more targeted functionalities. Pyrolysis temperature emerged as the primary performance driver: 300–400 °C biochars improved pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), water retention, and crop yield, whereas 450–550 °C biochars favored stability, nutrient concentration, and long-term carbon sequestration. Elemental composition averaged 60.7 wt.% C, 2.1 wt.% N, and 27.5 wt.% O, underscoring trade-offs between nutrient supply and structural persistence. Greenhouse gas (GHG) outcomes were context-dependent, with consistent Nitrous Oxide (N₂O) reductions in loam and clay soils but variable CH₄ responses in paddy systems. An emerging trend, present in 10.6% of studies, is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve predictive accuracy, adsorption modeling, and life-cycle assessment. Collectively, the evidence confirms that biochar cannot be universally optimized but must be tailored to specific objectives, ranging from soil fertility enhancement to climate mitigation.

Keywords: biochar; soil fertility; carbon sequestration; pyrolysis; greenhouse gas mitigation; waste valorization; AI

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MDPI and ACS Style

Marin, F.; Tanislav, O.M.; Constantinescu, M.; Roman, A.; Bucura, F.; Oancea, S.; Zaharioiu, A.M. Biochar for Soil Fertility and Climate Mitigation: Review on Feedstocks, Pyrolysis Conditions, Functional Properties, and Applications with Emerging AI Integration. Agriculture 2025, 15, 2345. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15222345

AMA Style

Marin F, Tanislav OM, Constantinescu M, Roman A, Bucura F, Oancea S, Zaharioiu AM. Biochar for Soil Fertility and Climate Mitigation: Review on Feedstocks, Pyrolysis Conditions, Functional Properties, and Applications with Emerging AI Integration. Agriculture. 2025; 15(22):2345. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15222345

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marin, Florian, Oana Maria Tanislav, Marius Constantinescu, Antoaneta Roman, Felicia Bucura, Simona Oancea, and Anca Maria Zaharioiu. 2025. "Biochar for Soil Fertility and Climate Mitigation: Review on Feedstocks, Pyrolysis Conditions, Functional Properties, and Applications with Emerging AI Integration" Agriculture 15, no. 22: 2345. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15222345

APA Style

Marin, F., Tanislav, O. M., Constantinescu, M., Roman, A., Bucura, F., Oancea, S., & Zaharioiu, A. M. (2025). Biochar for Soil Fertility and Climate Mitigation: Review on Feedstocks, Pyrolysis Conditions, Functional Properties, and Applications with Emerging AI Integration. Agriculture, 15(22), 2345. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15222345

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Biochar for Soil Fertility and Climate Mitigation: Review on Feedstocks, Pyrolysis Conditions, Functional Properties, and Applications with Emerging AI Integration

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