Potential hazards of biochar: The negative environmental impacts of biochar applications
Abstract
Biochar has been widely used as an environmentally friendly material for soil improvement and remediation, water pollution control, greenhouse gas emission reduction, and other purposes because of its characteristics such as a large surface area, porous structure, and abundant surface O-containing functional groups. However, some surface properties (i.e., (i) some surface properties (i.e., organic functional groups and inorganic components), (ii) changes in pH), and (iii) chemical reactions (e.g., aromatic C ring oxidation) that occur between biochar and the application environment may result in the release of harmful components. In this study, biochars with a potential risk to the environment were classified according to their harmful components, surface properties, structure, and particle size, and the potential negative environmental effects of these biochars and the mechanisms inducing these negative effects were reviewed. This article presents a comprehensive overview of the negative environmental impacts of biochar on soil, water, and atmospheric environments. It also summarizes various technical methods of environment-related risk detection and evaluation of biochar application, thereby providing a baseline reference and guiding significance for future biochar selection and toxicity detection, evaluation, and avoidance.
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Incorporation of biochar to soil can introduce organic contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, and potentially toxic elements (PTEs).
“Additionally, the incorporation of biochar to the soil can introduce organic contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, and potentially toxic elements (PTEs) [30, 31].”
From Differential effects of sewage sludge and food waste biochars on <i>Miscanthus × giganteus</i> phytostabilization on acidic brownfield soil (2026) · cites this paper as [31]
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“Additionally, the incorporation of biochar to the soil can introduce organic contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, and potentially toxic elements (PTEs) [30, 31].”
- Authors
- Xiang, L., Liu, S., Ye, S., Yang, H., Song, B., Qin, F., Shen, M., Tan, C., Zeng, G., & Tan, X.
- Affiliations
- Hunan University (CN)
- Hunan University of Arts and Science (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Tan, Chang
- Zeng, Guangming
- Tan, Xiaofei
- Venue
- Journal of Hazardous Materials
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-10
- Volume
- 420
- Pages
- 126611
- ISSN
- 0304-3894 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3178964815
- Cited by
- 377
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2026: 80 · 2025: 104 · 2024: 87 · 2023: 69 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 4
- FWCI
- 2.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Hazardous Materials (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Hunan University
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Thermochemical Biomass Conversion Processes
- Keywords
- biochar, environmental hazards, soil amendment, water pollution control, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, aromatic ring oxidation, surface functional groups, pH change, particle size, environmental risk assessment
- MeSH terms
- Charcoal, Soil, Soil Pollutants
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