Biochar as a Catalyst

Biochar is pyrogenic carbon rich material generated from carbon neutral sources (i.e., biomass). Being an environmentally benign means for soil amendment, it also offers principle strategies for carbon capture and storage (CCS). In addition, recent recognition of biochar as versatile media for catalytic applications has brought forth initial research exploring the catalytic capacity of biochar and mechanistic practices in various routes. Thus, to provide comprehensive information on the catalytic applications of biochar in the field of catalysis, this review focuses on the catalytic challenges and practices of biochar, e.g., biodiesel production, tar reduction in bio-oil and syngas (synthetic gas: H₂ and CO), enhanced syngas production, conversion of biomass into chemicals and biofuels, deNO_x reactions, and microbial fuel cell electrodes. This review also provides an in-depth assessment on the catalytic properties of biochar with respect to production recipes at the fundamental level. Lastly, the performance of various biochar catalysts is also evaluated in this review.