Biochar Application in Environmental Remediation

Dear Colleagues,

Biochar is a promising source of carbon-rich material produced from organic feedstock/waste materials through the pyrolysis process. Because of its large surface area, high carbon content, and abundance of functional groups, this material has gained significant attention recently as a potential contributor to the UN Sustainable Development Goals in a variety of environmental remediation applications. These include the removal of heavy metals and metalloids such as Zn, Pb, Se, Cu, Cd, Cr, U, etc., microplastics, and organic contaminants, such as PFAS from water/wastewater and soils, carbon sequestration, electrode materials, catalyst, etc. In addition, biochar soil amendment has also been proven to be effective in improving soil water retention, microbial activity, crop biomass and alleviating phytotoxicity in contaminated soils, besides their many other environmental benefits.

This Special Issue will focus on high-quality scientific research, case studies, meta-data analysis, and review works in the aforementioned topic to explore the multifaceted role of biochar in environmental remediation. Areas of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to the following:

• Innovative techniques for biochar production, modification, optimization and its characterization.
• Application of biochar/modified biochar in remediation of heavy metals/organic pollutants from contaminated water/wastewater and improvement of water quality.
• Biochar application for remediation of organic/inorganic pollutants in contaminated soils.
• Biochar application in managing soil salinity and soil health, and sustainable agriculture practices.
• Biochar as a soil amendment in reducing phytotoxicity in crops
• Innovative application of biochar in constructed wetlands or biofiltration systems.
• Biochar and plant–microbe interactions in environmental remediation.
• Co-application of biochar with bioremediation techniques to control soil pollution.
• Current application of biochar for attaining SDG goals
• Development of biochar-based remediation technologies for managing air quality/greenhouse gas mitigation
• Biochar applications in microplastic and nanoplastic removal from multi-media environmental systems.
• Biochar for environmental sustainability in the energy sector.
• Application of biochar-based materials in electroanalytical devices for environmental monitoring and pollution control.
• Challenges and opportunities of biochar applications in the environmental remediation field.

Prof. Dr. Dibyendu Sarkar
Prof. Dr. Rupali Datta
Dr. Prafulla Kumar Sahoo
Dr. Zhiming Zhang
Guest Editors

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