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Sustainable Development and Application of Biochar

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioeconomy of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 7 November 2024 | Viewed by 3049

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Rosa Rodriguez

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Grupo Vinculado al PROBIEN (CONICET-UNCo), Instituto de Ingeniería Química, Facultad de Ingeniería (UNSJ), San Juan, Argentina
Interests: bioenergy; circular economy; extraction of value-added product; biorefinery; thermochemical process; kinetics; exergy analysis; biomaterials; industrial ecology; production of platform molecules
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Germán Mazza

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Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos, Biotecnología y Energías Alternativas, PROBIEN (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas—Universidad Nacional del Comahue), Neuquén, Argentina
Interests: bioenergy; circular economy; extraction of value-added product; biorefinery; thermochemical process; kinetics; exergy analysis; biomaterials; production of platform molecules
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. María Fabani

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Instituto de Ingeniería Química, Facultad de Ingeniería (UNSJ), Grupo Vinculado al PROBIEN (CONICET-UNCo), San Juan, Argentina
Interests: circular economy; extraction of value-added product; biorefinery; drying; biomaterials; biomimetics synthesis; production of platform molecules
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biochar is a product obtained from the thermochemical transformation of biomass, particularly from bio-waste, which is used in agriculture as an amendment and substrate in soil-less crops. This material is used for obtaining energy, gas cleaning, and wastewater treatment, among others. Due to the fact that biochar can be obtained from bio-waste and its innumerable uses to enhance the quality of the environment, it is important to summarize the new advances, since its use contributes to the circular economy, improving the sustainability of production processes.

This Special Issue covers original articles from eminent researchers across the globe in three aspects of the theme: sustainable processes for obtaining biochar, its different applications, and emerging technologies for the use of biochar. We welcome articles in the following areas (but you are not limited to these):

Different processes for obtaining biochar.
Using biochar to capture greenhouse gases.
Biochar as an amendment soil and substrate of soil-less crops.
Biochar as an energy vector.
Use of biochar for wastewater treatment.
Soil decontamination.
Biochar uses for gas cleaning.
Biochar as an additive to composite materials.
Emerging technologies for the use of biochar.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Rosa Rodriguez
Prof. Dr. Germán Mazza
Dr. María Paula Fabani
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
sustainable
emerging technologies
agriculture applications
energy vector
wastewater treatment
gas cleaning
soil decontamination
composite materials

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 5025 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Insights into the Roles of Surface Functional Groups and Micropores in the Sorption of Ofloxacin on Banana Pseudo-Stem Biochars

by Haifeng Wang, Yang Yang, Mengping Wang, Runjiao Yuan, Wenyi Song, Lin Wang, Ni Liang, Jiayi Shi and Jing Li

Sustainability 2024, 16(7), 2629; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16072629 - 22 Mar 2024

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Abstract

In the present study, banana pseudo-stem (BS) was pyrolyzed under anaerobic conditions without any physical or chemical modification. Their properties, as well as their sorption affinity to ofloxacin (OFL), were studied. As a result, oxalates and KCl formed at a relatively low temperature of 300 °C, while bicarbonates generally formed at a pyrolysis temperature above 400 °C. Surface functional groups of BS biochars facilitated OFL sorption mainly via specific interactions including electronic attraction (EA), π–π electron donor–acceptor (π–π EDA) interaction, the ordinary hydrogen bond (OHB), and the negative charge-assisted hydrogen bond ((−)CAHB). Except for (−)CAHB, these interactions all decreased with an elevated pH, resulting in overall decreased OFL sorption. Significant OFL sorption by BS biochars produced at 300 °C, observed even at an alkaline condition was attributed to (−)CAHB. Micropores formed in BS biochar prepared at 500 °C, with a specific surface area as high as 390 m² g⁻¹ after water washing treatment. However, most micropores could not be accessed by OFL molecules due to the size exclusion effect. Additionally, the inherent K-containing salts may hinder OFL sorption by covering the sorption sites or blocking the inner pores of biochars, as well as releasing OH⁻ into the solution. Thus, BS biochar produced at 300 °C is an excellent sorbent for OFL removal due to its high sorption ability and low energy. Our findings indicate that biochar techniques have potential win–win effects in recycling banana waste with low energy and costs, and simultaneously converting them into promising sorbents for the removal of environmental contaminants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Development and Application of Biochar)

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17 pages, 3957 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enzyme Activity and Dissolved Organic Carbon Content in Soils Amended with Different Types of Biochar and Exogenous Organic Matter

by Magdalena Bednik, Agnieszka Medyńska-Juraszek, Irmina Ćwieląg-Piasecka and Michał Dudek

Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15396; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115396 - 28 Oct 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1144

Abstract

Biochars are proposed as a strategy for long-term carbon sequestration. High resistance for decomposition, low decay rate and long estimated lifetime allow for stable forms of carbon to be retained in the environment. Nevertheless, the application of pyrolyzed feedstock, particularly along with exogenous organic matter, may affect carbon dynamics in soil through the introduction of labile compounds and the stimulation of extracellular enzymes. The aim of this research was to evaluate the influence of biochars and unprocessed organic amendments in two agricultural soils on the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content and activity of three enzymes involved in carbon turnover. In the incubation experiment, the activity of dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, and cellulase and the DOC content were measured on days 30, 60, 90, 180, and 360. The addition of biochars stimulated dehydrogenase and β-glucosidase, while cellulase was suppressed. Fresh biomass enhanced the activity of the enzymes through a priming effect. DOC content was the highest in treatments with high enzyme activity, suggesting that it acted as a source of energy for microbes. The findings suggest that the biochar properties and the presence of exogenous organic matter affect microbial response in soil, which might be crucial for carbon sequestration. However, long-term studies are recommended to fully understand the mechanisms that determine the response of soil biota to biochar. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Development and Application of Biochar)

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Review

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20 pages, 1696 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Effect of Different Biochar Characteristics on Soil Nitrogen Transformation Processes: A Review

by Donna Davys, Francis Rayns, Susanne Charlesworth and Robert Lillywhite

Sustainability 2023, 15(23), 16446; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316446 - 30 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 920

Abstract

For the last 30 years, interest has focused on biochar and its potential to store carbon in soil to mitigate climate change whilst improving soil properties for increased crop production and, therefore, could play a critical role in both agricultural sustainability and broader environmental aims. Biochar, a carbonaceous product, is formed from organic feedstock pyrolysised in the absence of air and, therefore, is a potential means of recycling organic waste. However, different feedstock and pyrolysis conditions result in a biochar with a range of altered characteristics. These characteristics influence nitrogen transformation processes in soil and result in the metabolism of different substrates and the formation of different products, which have different effects on agricultural yield. This paper reviews how the production of biochar, from varying feedstock and pyrolysis conditions, results in different biochar characteristics that influence each stage of the nitrogen cycle, namely processes involved in fixation, assimilation, mineralisation and denitrification. The nitrogen cycle is briefly outlined, providing a structure for the following discussion on influential biochar characteristics including carbon composition (whether recalcitrant or rapidly metabolisable), mineral composition, surface area, porosity, cation exchange capacity, inhibitory substances and pH and so on. Hence, after the addition of biochar to soil, microbial biomass and diversity, soil porosity, bulk density, water-holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, pH and other parameters change, but that change is subject to the type and amount of biochar. Hence, products from soil-based nitrogen transformation processes, which may be beneficial for plant growth, are highly dependent on biochar characteristics. The paper concludes with a diagrammatic summation of the influence of biochar on each phase of the nitrogen cycle, which, it is hoped, will serve as a reference for both students and biochar practitioners. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Development and Application of Biochar)

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