RSC Advances recently featured a comprehensive review by Hai Bang Truong and team where they examined how biochar made from organic waste, serves as a versatile material for solving modern environmental crises. While the world still relies on fossil fuels for 82 percent of its energy, biochar offers a path toward decarbonization by transforming crop residues, food waste, and even sewage sludge into functional “smart materials.” These materials are uniquely suited for environmental restoration because they possess a high surface area and a porous structure that can trap a wide variety of contaminants.

The results of the study highlight the impressive quantitative efficiency of biochar in cleaning polluted water. When biochar is enhanced with specific nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, it can reach a 99 percent retention rate for copper ions even after being used for five consecutive cycles. Other forms of engineered biochar have shown the ability to remove 90 percent of lead from sewage sludge and more than 87 percent of toxic dyes and naphthenic acids. These high success rates are largely due to the material’s surface chemistry, which can be tuned to attract and bind to specific pollutants through electrical charges and chemical “hotspots.”

Beyond water treatment, the researchers found that biochar plays a significant role in sustainable energy and climate protection. Every ton of biochar produced has the potential to mitigate over six tons of carbon dioxide, making it a powerful tool for long-term carbon storage. In the energy sector, biochar is being used to create high-performance electrodes for batteries and supercapacitors, as well as catalysts for producing renewable fuels like hydrogen. The study notes that while fossil fuels continue to dominate the global energy landscape, integrating biochar into these systems promotes a circular economy where waste is no longer discarded but repurposed for clean power.

The research also addresses the economic and practical benefits of decentralized biochar production. By using local waste streams such as rice straw or manure, communities can reduce the ecological pressure of waste management while generating valuable by-products like bio-oil and syngasSyngas, or synthesis gas, is a fuel gas mixture consisting primarily of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. It is produced during gasification and can be used as a fuel source or as a feedstock for producing other chemicals and fuels.   More. Although challenges remain regarding cost and standardization, the study concludes that biochar is one of the most promising avenues for large-scale sustainable development. Its ability to simultaneously purify water, improve soil health, and support green energy technologies positions it as a cornerstone of future environmental policy and industrial innovation.

Source: Truong, H. B., Dang, V. D., Khedulkar, A. P., Adorna, J., Jr, Yu, W. J., Bui, T. A. N., Annadurai, T., Arshad, M., Nguyen, M. K., Pham, L. K. H., Nguyen, H. T., Truong, D. C. C., & Anh, T. V. (2026). Biochar for pollution mitigation and renewable energy applications toward sustainability development. RSC Advances, 16(8), 5834–5851.