Biochar for sustainable agriculture

The characteristic of sustainable agriculture is to minimize damage to the environment while being profitable, which is not easy to achieve. “Sustainable agriculture” tries to explore a series of protective agricultural practices that can decrease the adverse pressures of land intensification. Various raw materials have different physiochemical properties of biochar. The common approaches for biochar generation include pyrolysis, gasification, and hydrothermal carbonization. Biochar can be modified by purification of acids, alkalis, oxidants, gases, and so on. Additionally, the practical application of biochar for environmental remediation should pay attention to the mobilization of heavy metals and organic pollution from biochar in the environment. The main objective of this chapter is to provide an important scientific report of the present knowledge about the impact of biochar on soil characteristics, changes, and functions. A wider range of issues were discussed, including atmospheric gases emissions related to biochar production and treatment, and the impact of application on soil respiration.