**3. Application of biochar in decontamination/removal of organic pollutants from soil and water**

In this era of high population and modernization, the contamination of soil and water resources due to organic contaminants is a major concern. Biochar from different sources has a porous carbons, the pore network of biochar is typically composed of micropores <2 nm, mesopores 2–50 nm, and macropores >50 nm. But, micropores and small mesopores (2–20 nm) are suggested to contribute the majority to the surface area and excellent adsorption capacity of biochar. Because of such excellent properties, it can be a good tool to remove organic pollutants from contaminated soil and water resources. There are several evidences available in the literature about the use of biochar for the removal of organic pollutants from contaminated soil and water in **Table 3** [54].


**115**

*Importance of Biochar in Agriculture and Its Consequence*

**4. Application of biochar for soil carbon sequestration and mitigate** 

The current availability of biomass in India (2010–2011) is estimated at 500 Mtpa. Annual bio-manure production (in tons) is 32,582. A potential 61.1 MMT of fuel crop residue and 241.7 MMT of fodder crop residue are being consumed by farmers themselves. In India total biomass power generation capacity is

17,500 MW. At present power being generated is 2665 MW which include 1666 MW by cogeneration. Studies sponsored by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Govt. of India have estimated surplus biomass availability at about 120–150 Mtpa. Of this, about 93 Mt. of crop residues are burnt each year. The generation of crop residues is highest in Uttar Pradesh (60 Mt) followed by Punjab (50 Mt). Efficient utilization of this biomass by converting it as a valuable source of soil amendment is one approach to manage soil quality, fertility, mitigate GHGs emissions and increase carbon sequestration [55]. Biochar has a condensed aromatic structure that makes it a stable solid rich in carbon content which is known to be highly resistant to microbial decomposition, thus it can be used to lock carbon in the soil. Biochar application has received a growing interest as a sustainable technology to improve highly weathered or degraded tropical soils [10]. Biochar can reduce N2O emission from the soil which might be due to inhibition of either stage of nitrification and/ or inhibition of denitrification, or encouragement of the decrease of N2O and these impacts could occur simultaneously in a soil. Several workers have reported that applications of biochar to soils have shown positive responses for the yield of several crops. Similarly, biochar has also been found to have significant positive interaction with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria for improving total dry matter yield of rice. Biochar from different sources has several other important roles other than the above mentioned depending on its source such as the role in plant growth enhancement, quality and quantity improvement of several crop species, improvement of

The global potential of biochar reaches far beyond *slash and char*. Inspired by the recreation of *Terra Preta*, most biochar research was restricted to the humid tropics. More information is needed on the agronomic potential of biochar, the potential to use alternative biomass sources (crop residues) and the production of by-products to evaluate the opportunities for adopting a biochar system on a global scale. Biochar as soil amendment needs to be studied in different climate and soil types. Today, crop residue biomass represents a considerable problem as well as new challenges and opportunities. A system converting biomass into energy (hydrogenrich gas) and producing biochar as a by-product might offer an opportunity to address these problems. Biochar can be produced by incomplete combustion from any biomass, and it is a by-product of the pyrolysis technology used for biofuel and ammonia production [56]. The acknowledgment of biochar as a carbon sink would facilitate C-trading mechanisms. Although most scientists agree that the half-life of biochar is in the range of centuries or millennia, a better knowledge of the biochar's durability in different ecosystems is important to achieve this goal. The systematic

recycling of biochar in the environment has been depicted in **Figure 2**.

Access to the C trade market holds out the prospect to reduce or eliminate the deforestation of the primary forest because using intact primary forest would reduce the farmer's C credits. It is estimated the above-ground biomass of unlogged

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93049*

water holding capacity, soil porosity, etc.

**5. Biochar prospects and essential research**

**GHGs emission**

### **Table 3.**

*Organic contaminants sorbet by different biochars and their abstraction mechanisms.*

*Applications of Biochar for Environmental Safety*

**pollutants from soil and water**

contaminated soil and water in **Table 3** [54].

Carbamazepine Loblolly pine

released per.

1.5–1.7 g cm<sup>−</sup><sup>3</sup>

association when applied to soil [37–39] evaluated the increase in microbial biomass when biochar is applied to the soil and its efficacy as a measure of CO2

Microbial biomass carbon in the soil increase in basal respiration due to addition of the carbon in soil. Biochar does not contribute directly to the microbial population in the soil. Hence higher porosity of biochar creates a favorable environment for microbes to make a habitat in soil [40] researchers have suggested that biochar benefits microbial communities by providing suitable habitats for microorganisms that protect them from predation [41–43]. Microbial cells typically range in size from 0.5 to 5 μm and consist predominantly of bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, lichens, and algae species are from 2 to 20 μm [44]. The microscopic studies indicate that biochar in soil serve as habitat for microorganisms [3]. The loss of volatile and condensable compounds from biochars and the concomitant relative increase in the organized phase formed by graphite-like crystallites leads to the increase in solid density (or true density) of the round

. Increasing anthropogenic activities have mainly resulted into

buildup of non-essential heavy metals in agricultural soils. Recently chromium

In this era of high population and modernization, the contamination of soil and water resources due to organic contaminants is a major concern. Biochar from different sources has a porous carbons, the pore network of biochar is typically composed of micropores <2 nm, mesopores 2–50 nm, and macropores >50 nm. But, micropores and small mesopores (2–20 nm) are suggested to contribute the majority to the surface area and excellent adsorption capacity of biochar. Because of such excellent properties, it can be a good tool to remove organic pollutants from contaminated soil and water resources. There are several evidences available in the literature about the use of biochar for the removal of organic pollutants from

**Organic contaminants Biochar type Mechanisms References**

groups

Ethinylestradiol poultry litter Pore-filling [46] 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid Wood chips Surface adsorption [47]

Atrazine Dairy manure Partitioning [49] Nitrobenzene Pine needles Pore-filling [50] Humic acid Grass Hydrophobic interactions [51] Perfluorooctane sulfonate Maize Hydrophobic adsorption [52] p-Coumaric acid Hardwood litter Hydrogen bonding [53]

Diazinon Rice straw Hydrogen bonding with polar

Hydrophobic adsorption [45]

[48]

chips

*Organic contaminants sorbet by different biochars and their abstraction mechanisms.*

**3. Application of biochar in decontamination/removal of organic** 

(Cr) contamination in water and soil is a serious concern [44].

**114**

**Table 3.**
