Perspective Chapter: The Role of Biochar in Soil Amelioration

Abstract

Many techniques have been employed in restoring the health of physically, chemically and biologically degraded soils. Some of these techniques are expensive, time consuming and may involve soil excavation or chemical treatments with numerous washes in some cases. There is a novel technique that is cheap, can restore the properties of a degraded soil, mitigate climate change and sequestrate carbon in the soil. That technique is the biochar technology. In this review, we’ll look at biochar technology as an ameliorant in improving impoverished soils. Biochar is a carbon-rich substance that is produced when biomass (feedstock) is subjected to a thermal decomposition process under limited oxygen called pyrolysis. Biochar can be used to ameliorate soil acidity and alkalinity depending on the feedstock. It has advantages such as increasing cation exchange capacity, soil carbon and nutrient in the soil. Biochar can be inoculated with specific organisms for pollutant breakdown and acts as a habitat for naturally occurring microbes; by binding pollutants in the soil through the process of bioaccumulation, sorption, electrostatic attraction and precipitation, it acts as a remediation agent. However, the feedstock, pyrolysis temperature, and heating period can all affect the properties of biochar and its biological processes.