Biochar emerges as a key material linking clean water, carbon capture, and renewable energy

Biochar, a carbon rich material made by heating agricultural and forestry waste under low oxygen conditions, has long been valued for improving soil health. Now, a new review reveals that biochar is rapidly evolving into a powerful multifunctional material with the potential to tackle some of the world’s most urgent environmental challenges, from water pollution and nutrient loss to carbon emissions and clean energy production.

In a comprehensive review published online on January 20, 2026, researchers Ting-Yu Zhang and Wu-Jun Liu synthesize recent advances showing how biochar is moving far beyond its traditional role in soil remediation. The study highlights how engineered biochar can serve as a critical platform material connecting water, carbon, and energy systems within a circular and sustainable framework.

“Biochar is no longer just a soil amendment,” said corresponding author Wu-Jun Liu. “Our review shows that it is becoming a versatile environmental material that can simultaneously support cleaner water, lower carbon emissions, and renewable energy generation.”

Biochar’s growing importance lies in its unique physical and chemical properties. Its highly porous structure provides vast surface area, while its surface chemistry can be tailored during production. Many biochars also possess natural electrical conductivity and redox activity, enabling them to interact with microbes, pollutants, and gases in ways that conventional materials cannot.

One major emerging application is in biological water treatment and resource recovery. When added to wastewater treatment systems, biochar can act as a habitat for beneficial microorganisms, improving their ability to remove nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants. At the same time, biochar can help recover these nutrients for reuse as fertilizers, supporting more sustainable nutrient cycles.

“Instead of treating wastewater as waste, biochar helps turn it into a resource,” Liu explained. “It can enhance microbial processes that recover nutrients and even produce useful energy.”

The review also highlights biochar’s role in boosting renewable energy generation in anaerobic digestion systems. In these systems, microbes break down organic waste to produce methane or hydrogen. Biochar can facilitate direct electron transfer between microbes, making these biological processes faster, more stable, and more efficient.

Another fast growing area is carbon capture and conversion. Modified biochars can adsorb carbon dioxide from industrial emissions and, in some cases, catalyze its conversion into fuels or valuable chemicals. Because biochar itself is made from biomass and can store carbon for long periods, these applications may help reduce net greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition, biochar is increasingly being integrated into advanced separation technologies, including filtration membranes and capacitive deionization systems. In these applications, biochar can improve water purification performance while reducing energy demand and material costs.

Despite the promise, the authors emphasize that challenges remain. Long term stability, large scale production, and clear links between biochar structure and performance must be better understood. The review calls for future research that combines material design with life cycle and techno-economic assessments.

“Our goal is to guide the rational design of next generation biochars,” said Liu. “With the right engineering and evaluation, biochar could become a cornerstone material for carbon neutral and circular environmental technologies.”

The findings underscore biochar’s transformation from a simple soil additive into a multifunctional material with the potential to reshape how society manages water, energy, and carbon in a resource constrained world.

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Journal reference: Zhang TY, Liu WJ. 2026. Beyond soil remediation and contaminant treatments: emerging environmental applications of biochar. Biochar X 2: e002 doi: 10.48130/bchax-0025-0015  

https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/bchax-0025-0015

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About the Journal: 

Biochar X (e-ISSN: 3070-1686) is an open access, online-only journal aims to transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries by providing a multidisciplinary platform for the exchange of cutting-edge research in both fundamental and applied aspects of biochar. The journal is dedicated to supporting the global biochar research community by offering an innovative, efficient, and professional outlet for sharing new findings and perspectives. Its core focus lies in the discovery of novel insights and the development of emerging applications in the rapidly growing field of biochar science. 

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