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Biochar as a Sustainable Solution for Water and Soil Pollution: Removal of Organic and Inorganic Contaminants

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Pollution Prevention, Mitigation and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 August 2026 | Viewed by 1092

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Geography, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
Interests: environmental sciences; analytical chemistry; ecotoxicology; water quality

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
Interests: geochemistry; biochar; phytoremediation; water remediation; hydrology; micro and nano plastic contamination; metal contamination; thermal imaging

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
Interests: stable isotopes; dendrochronology; dendroclimatology; radiocarbon dating; proxy data; phytoremediation; biochar

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to highlight the innovative application of biochar as a sustainable, multifunctional material for alleviating water and soil pollution in terms of both organic (e.g., micro(nano)plastics, pesticides, antibiotics, PFAS, PAHs, PPCPs) and inorganic (e.g., heavy metals, metalloids, nutrients) contaminants. The scope encompasses comprehensive research, ranging from fundamental investigations of the physicochemical characteristics and modifications of biochar to practical studies on its efficacy in environmental remediation, alongside life cycle and socio-economic evaluations of biochar technologies.

This issue aims to offer a thorough, multidisciplinary forum for academics to showcase novel discoveries regarding the design, processes, and practical uses of biochar for pollutant remediation. The primary emphasis will be on sustainable production techniques, sophisticated functionalisation approaches, and the incorporation of biochar into circular economy and climate mitigation systems. The topic aims to emphasise biochar's dual function in pollution mitigation and carbon sequestration, so aiding global sustainability objectives, including clean water, healthy soils, and climate action. This Special Issue strongly connects with the Sustainability journal's aim to enhance knowledge and solutions that foster environmental preservation, sustainable land and water management, and socio-economic resilience. This issue underscores the sustainable production and utilization of biochar, thereby directly contributing to discussions on innovative technologies that support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

This Special Issue acknowledge the importance of laboratory investigations and reviews which have practical applications with papers that address existing gaps, provide comprehensive assessments, and showcase innovative, practical solutions. It aims to integrate contemporary advancements while establishing future research trajectories at the convergence of materials science, environmental engineering, and sustainability studies.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:  

  • Sustainable production, modification, and characterization of biochar for environmental remediation
  • Factors affecting biochar interactions with organic and inorganic pollutants
  • Mechanisms of organic and inorganic pollutant adsorption, transformation, and immobilization
  • Biochar-based composites and hybrid systems for enhanced remediation performance
  • Pilot and field-scale studies demonstrate biochar efficacy in contaminated environments
  • Long-term environmental behaviour, stability, and fate of pollutant-laden biochar
  • Novel methods of biochar regeneration
  • Economic, life cycle, and policy analyses supporting biochar deployment
  • Biochar’s co-benefits in soil restoration, carbon sequestration, and nutrient cycling  

We look forward to receiving your contributions.  

Dr. Muhammad Junaid
Dr. Stuart Cairns
Dr. Iain Robertson
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biochar
  • water pollution
  • soil pollution
  • organic contaminants
  • inorganic contaminants
  • heavy metals
  • micro(nano)plastics
  • pesticides
  • pharmaceuticals
  • per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
  • aquatic species
  • plants

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 2133 KB  
Article
Preparation of High-Performance KOH-Activated Biochar from Agricultural Waste (Sapindus mukorossi) and Its Application in Organic Dye Removal
by Yufeng Zhao, Lu Huang and Guojin Sun
Sustainability 2025, 17(19), 8674; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17198674 - 26 Sep 2025
Viewed by 188
Abstract
The separation of organic dyes from wastewater (WW) is a major challenge in water pollution control. The present research utilised agricultural residuals from Sapindus mukorossi were utilised to prepare high-performance biochar through carbonization and KOH activation, while its efficiency was evaluated in removing [...] Read more.
The separation of organic dyes from wastewater (WW) is a major challenge in water pollution control. The present research utilised agricultural residuals from Sapindus mukorossi were utilised to prepare high-performance biochar through carbonization and KOH activation, while its efficiency was evaluated in removing methylene blue (MB). The physicochemical characteristics of the unactivated Sapindus shell biochar (SH0) and activated Sapindus shell biochar (SH2) material were characterised via EA, FTIR, BET, and SEM analyses. The findings indicated that the KOH activated Sapindus shell biochar (SH2) exhibited higher adsorption efficiency in comparison to Sapindus shell biochar (SH0). In particular, the SH2 demonstrated an 11.2-fold higher adsorption capacity for MB (502.11 mg·g−1) compared to SH0, a performance enhancement driven by its remarkably porous structure, substantial total pore volume (0.56 cm3·g−1), and high specific surface area (871.04 m2·g−1). A high MB removal efficiency of 98.36% was achieved within 30 min under the following optimal conditions: a KOH/SH0 activation ratio of 2:1, pH 6.5, and a biochar dose of 0.2 g·L−1. The MB adsorptive process was studied by applying the Langmuir isotherm and PSO kinetic models, suggesting physical and chemical interaction mechanisms between MB dyes and SH2. These findings provide a feasible strategy for the application of Sapindus shells and offer technical support for effectively removing dyes from wastewater by KOH-modified biochar. Full article
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Review

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24 pages, 2436 KB  
Review
Valorization of Kitchen Waste into Functional Biochar: Progress in Synthesis, Characterization, and Water Remediation Potential
by Himanshi Soni, Anjali Verma, Subbulakshmi Ganesan, Thangaraj Anand, Shakti Prakash Jena, Mikhael Bechelany and Jagpreet Singh
Sustainability 2025, 17(19), 8533; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17198533 - 23 Sep 2025
Viewed by 335
Abstract
The continuous increase in urbanization and global population has led to the generation of a substantial amount of kitchen waste, posing severe environmental and disposal challenges. The utilization of kitchen waste as organic biomass for biochar production offers a promising, sustainable, and cost-effective [...] Read more.
The continuous increase in urbanization and global population has led to the generation of a substantial amount of kitchen waste, posing severe environmental and disposal challenges. The utilization of kitchen waste as organic biomass for biochar production offers a promising, sustainable, and cost-effective solution. This review comprehensively analyzes the recent developments in the transformation of kitchen waste into biochar. Moreover, the current study involves various synthesis techniques, the physicochemical characteristics of biochar, and its applications in soil and water remediation. Afterwards, the experimental parameters and feedstock types are critically evaluated in terms of their key characteristics for biochar. Moreover, the current study highlights the effectiveness of kitchen waste-derived biochar (KWBC) in decomposing organic pollutants, heavy metals, and pharmaceutical pollutants from contaminated environments. Additionally, the mechanisms of adsorption, ion exchange, complexation, and redox interactions are thoroughly illustrated to evaluate the pollutant removal pathways. At the end of the study, experimental parameters such as pH, dosage, contact time, and initial pollutant concentration are discussed, which play the main role in enhancing the adsorption capacity of biochar. Finally, this review outlines current limitations and proposes future directions for optimizing biochar performance and promoting its large-scale application in sustainable environmental management. Full article
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