Can biomass-derived chars serve as a viable alternative to commercial inorganic fertilizers?
The increasing reliance on commercial inorganic fertilizers has raised significant environmental and economic concerns, including soil degradation, nutrient leaching, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. This review critically evaluates biomass-derived chars produced via thermochemical pro...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Alpha Creation Enterprise
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Biofuel Research Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_216410_24a2f8de6fcdce71bb84c4d7c6725832.pdf |
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| author | Pouya Mohammadi Chau Huyen Dang Silvia Román Gozde Duman Ramazan Cengiz Akdeniz Fırat Kömekçi Nik Nazri Nik Ghazali Caroline De Tender Beatrice Kulli |
| author_facet | Pouya Mohammadi Chau Huyen Dang Silvia Román Gozde Duman Ramazan Cengiz Akdeniz Fırat Kömekçi Nik Nazri Nik Ghazali Caroline De Tender Beatrice Kulli |
| author_sort | Pouya Mohammadi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The increasing reliance on commercial inorganic fertilizers has raised significant environmental and economic concerns, including soil degradation, nutrient leaching, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. This review critically evaluates biomass-derived chars produced via thermochemical processes, i.e., pyrolysis, gasification, and hydrothermal carbonization, as potential alternatives to synthetic fertilizers. Among the three biomass-derived chars, biochar stands out as the most viable option for soil amendment due to its high stability, nutrient retention capacity, and long-term carbon sequestration benefits. Gasification char, despite its high porosity and adsorption capacity, often lacks bioavailable nutrients, whereas hydrochar, though rich in organic compounds, poses challenges related to stability and phytotoxicity. Biochar application has been shown to significantly reduce N2O emissions, enhance soil water retention, and mitigate nutrient runoff, offering clear environmental advantages over conventional fertilizers. Moreover, biochar has transitioned from an experimental soil amendment to a commercially available product with increasing adoption in agriculture worldwide, further reinforcing its practical viability. However, large-scale implementation still faces economic and logistical constraints, including high production costs, transportation inefficiencies, and regulatory uncertainties. Addressing these challenges through policy incentives such as subsidies and carbon credits can enhance the economic feasibility of biochar production and application. Given these findings, this review focuses on biochar as the most practical and sustainable alternative to commercial inorganic fertilizers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d1c2c36d59444339ba6f41808d617a70 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2292-8782 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Alpha Creation Enterprise |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biofuel Research Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-d1c2c36d59444339ba6f41808d617a702025-08-20T01:47:28ZengAlpha Creation EnterpriseBiofuel Research Journal2292-87822025-03-011212350237210.18331/BRJ2025.12.1.5216410Can biomass-derived chars serve as a viable alternative to commercial inorganic fertilizers?Pouya Mohammadi0Chau Huyen Dang1Silvia Román2Gozde Duman3Ramazan Cengiz Akdeniz4Fırat Kömekçi5Nik Nazri Nik Ghazali6Caroline De Tender7Beatrice Kulli8Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries (AKUATROP), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu 21030, Malaysia.Department of System Process Engineering, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469 Potsdam, Germany.Departamento de Física Aplicada, Escuela de Ingenierías Industriales, Universidad de Extremadura, Avd. de Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain.Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Ege University, 35100, Bornova, Izmir, Türkiye.Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Machinery and Technologies Engineering, Ege University, 35100, Bornova, Izmir, Türkiye.Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Machinery and Technologies Engineering, Ege University, 35100, Bornova, Izmir, Türkiye.Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium.Institute of Natural Resource Sciences, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), CH-8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland.The increasing reliance on commercial inorganic fertilizers has raised significant environmental and economic concerns, including soil degradation, nutrient leaching, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. This review critically evaluates biomass-derived chars produced via thermochemical processes, i.e., pyrolysis, gasification, and hydrothermal carbonization, as potential alternatives to synthetic fertilizers. Among the three biomass-derived chars, biochar stands out as the most viable option for soil amendment due to its high stability, nutrient retention capacity, and long-term carbon sequestration benefits. Gasification char, despite its high porosity and adsorption capacity, often lacks bioavailable nutrients, whereas hydrochar, though rich in organic compounds, poses challenges related to stability and phytotoxicity. Biochar application has been shown to significantly reduce N2O emissions, enhance soil water retention, and mitigate nutrient runoff, offering clear environmental advantages over conventional fertilizers. Moreover, biochar has transitioned from an experimental soil amendment to a commercially available product with increasing adoption in agriculture worldwide, further reinforcing its practical viability. However, large-scale implementation still faces economic and logistical constraints, including high production costs, transportation inefficiencies, and regulatory uncertainties. Addressing these challenges through policy incentives such as subsidies and carbon credits can enhance the economic feasibility of biochar production and application. Given these findings, this review focuses on biochar as the most practical and sustainable alternative to commercial inorganic fertilizers.https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_216410_24a2f8de6fcdce71bb84c4d7c6725832.pdfbiomass-derived charbiocharsoil fertilityinorganic fertilizer alternativesustainable agriculturenutrient management |
| spellingShingle | Pouya Mohammadi Chau Huyen Dang Silvia Román Gozde Duman Ramazan Cengiz Akdeniz Fırat Kömekçi Nik Nazri Nik Ghazali Caroline De Tender Beatrice Kulli Can biomass-derived chars serve as a viable alternative to commercial inorganic fertilizers? Biofuel Research Journal biomass-derived char biochar soil fertility inorganic fertilizer alternative sustainable agriculture nutrient management |
| title | Can biomass-derived chars serve as a viable alternative to commercial inorganic fertilizers? |
| title_full | Can biomass-derived chars serve as a viable alternative to commercial inorganic fertilizers? |
| title_fullStr | Can biomass-derived chars serve as a viable alternative to commercial inorganic fertilizers? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Can biomass-derived chars serve as a viable alternative to commercial inorganic fertilizers? |
| title_short | Can biomass-derived chars serve as a viable alternative to commercial inorganic fertilizers? |
| title_sort | can biomass derived chars serve as a viable alternative to commercial inorganic fertilizers |
| topic | biomass-derived char biochar soil fertility inorganic fertilizer alternative sustainable agriculture nutrient management |
| url | https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_216410_24a2f8de6fcdce71bb84c4d7c6725832.pdf |
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