**7. Conclusion**

Ever-increasing population has paved the way to agricultural land depletion which needs to be controlled by adopting sustainable crop production practices. Direct incorporation of crop residues into agricultural soil conserves soil nutrients as well as organic carbon contentbut initiates considerable crop management problems by delayingthe decomposition process. Conversion of crop residues to biochar by thermo-chemical process (slow pyrolysis) is an attractive, economical alternative approach for effective management and disposal of these excess crop residues, whichotherwise are being used inefficiently. Addition of biochar to soil is one of the best practices to overcome any biotic/abiotic stress caused, such as heavy metal toxicity, soil acidity, nutrient unavailability etc. and to increase the crop productivity. From the agriculture point of view, application of biochar as a soil conditioner generates numerous benefits, such as improvement of the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils, and this in turn contributes to an increased crop yield. Owing to their physicochemical properties, biochar can be used for soil carbon sequestration, reduction of the bioavailability of contaminants affecting living organisms as well as for water treatment. The persistence of biochar effects on soil processes and mechanisms remains to be resolved under realistic field conditions. Therefore, it is recommended to use biochar as a soil amendment for enhancing soil health and environmental condition as well as long-term carbon sequestration.

*Biochar: A Sustainable Approach for Improving Soil Health and Environment DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97136*
