Biochar industry to circular economy

Qiang Hu; Janelle Jung; Dexiang Chen; Ken Leong; Shuang Song; Fanghua Li; Babu Cadiam Mohan; Zhiyi Yao; Arun Kumar Prabhakar; Xuan Hao Lin; Ee Yang Lim; Le Zhang; Gupta Souradeep; Yong Sik Ok; Harn Wei Kua; Sam F.Y. Li; Hugh T.W. Tan; Yanjun Dai; Yen Wah Tong; Yinghong Peng; Stephen Joseph; Chi Hwa Wang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143820

Biochar industry to circular economy

Qiang Hu, Janelle Jung, Dexiang Chen, Ken Leong, Shuang Song, Fanghua Li, Babu Cadiam Mohan, Zhiyi Yao, Arun Kumar Prabhakar, Xuan Hao Lin, Ee Yang Lim, Le Zhang, Gupta Souradeep, Yong Sik Ok, Harn Wei Kua, Sam F.Y. Li, Hugh T.W. Tan, Yanjun Dai, Yen Wah Tong, Yinghong PengStephen Joseph, Chi Hwa Wang

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

99 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Biochar, produced as a by-product of pyrolysis/gasification of waste biomass, shows great potential to reduce the environment impact, address the climate change issue, and establish a circular economy model. Despite the promising outlook, the research on the benefits of biochar remains highly debated. This has been attributed to the heterogeneity of biochar itself, with its inherent physical, chemical and biological properties highly influenced by production variables such as feedstock types and treating conditions. Hence, to enable meaningful comparison of results, establishment of an agreed international standard to govern the production of biochar for specific uses is necessary. In this study, we analyzed four key uses of biochar: 1) in agriculture and horticulture, 2) as construction material, 3) as activated carbon, and 4) in anaerobic digestion. Then the guidelines for the properties of biochar, especially for the concentrations of toxic heavy metals, for its environmental friendly application were proposed in the context of Singapore. The international status of the biochar industry code of practice, feedback from Singapore local industry and government agencies, as well as future perspectives for the biochar industry were explained.

Original language	English
Article number	143820
Journal	Science of the Total Environment
Volume	757
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143820
Publication status	Published - 2021 Feb 25

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research program is funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Prime Minister's Office, Singapore, under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) program, grant Number R-706-001-102-281. The authors acknowledge the technical input by Dr. Xin He on Fig. 2c. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of the National Environment Agency Singapore, Public Utilities Board, Singapore, National Park Board, Singapore, Singapore Food Agency, and Enterprise Singapore.

Funding Information:
This research program is funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Prime Minister's Office, Singapore, under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) program, grant Number R-706-001-102-281 . The authors acknowledge the technical input by Dr. Xin He on Fig. 2 c. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of the National Environment Agency Singapore, Public Utilities Board, Singapore, National Park Board, Singapore, Singapore Food Agency, and Enterprise Singapore.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier B.V.

Keywords

Activated carbon
Agriculture and horticulture
Anaerobic digestion
Biochar
Construction material

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Environmental Engineering
Environmental Chemistry
Waste Management and Disposal
Pollution

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143820

Cite this

Hu, Q., Jung, J., Chen, D., Leong, K., Song, S., Li, F., Mohan, B. C., Yao, Z., Prabhakar, A. K., Lin, X. H., Lim, E. Y., Zhang, L., Souradeep, G., Ok, Y. S., Kua, H. W., Li, S. F. Y., Tan, H. T. W., Dai, Y., Tong, Y. W., ... Wang, C. H. (2021). Biochar industry to circular economy. Science of the Total Environment, 757, Article 143820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143820

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abstract = "Biochar, produced as a by-product of pyrolysis/gasification of waste biomass, shows great potential to reduce the environment impact, address the climate change issue, and establish a circular economy model. Despite the promising outlook, the research on the benefits of biochar remains highly debated. This has been attributed to the heterogeneity of biochar itself, with its inherent physical, chemical and biological properties highly influenced by production variables such as feedstock types and treating conditions. Hence, to enable meaningful comparison of results, establishment of an agreed international standard to govern the production of biochar for specific uses is necessary. In this study, we analyzed four key uses of biochar: 1) in agriculture and horticulture, 2) as construction material, 3) as activated carbon, and 4) in anaerobic digestion. Then the guidelines for the properties of biochar, especially for the concentrations of toxic heavy metals, for its environmental friendly application were proposed in the context of Singapore. The international status of the biochar industry code of practice, feedback from Singapore local industry and government agencies, as well as future perspectives for the biochar industry were explained.",

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note = "Funding Information: This research program is funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Prime Minister's Office, Singapore, under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) program, grant Number R-706-001-102-281. The authors acknowledge the technical input by Dr. Xin He on Fig. 2c. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of the National Environment Agency Singapore, Public Utilities Board, Singapore, National Park Board, Singapore, Singapore Food Agency, and Enterprise Singapore. Funding Information: This research program is funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Prime Minister's Office, Singapore, under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) program, grant Number R-706-001-102-281 . The authors acknowledge the technical input by Dr. Xin He on Fig. 2 c. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of the National Environment Agency Singapore, Public Utilities Board, Singapore, National Park Board, Singapore, Singapore Food Agency, and Enterprise Singapore. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 Elsevier B.V.",

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AU - Mohan, Babu Cadiam

AU - Yao, Zhiyi

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N1 - Funding Information: This research program is funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Prime Minister's Office, Singapore, under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) program, grant Number R-706-001-102-281. The authors acknowledge the technical input by Dr. Xin He on Fig. 2c. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of the National Environment Agency Singapore, Public Utilities Board, Singapore, National Park Board, Singapore, Singapore Food Agency, and Enterprise Singapore. Funding Information: This research program is funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Prime Minister's Office, Singapore, under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) program, grant Number R-706-001-102-281 . The authors acknowledge the technical input by Dr. Xin He on Fig. 2 c. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of the National Environment Agency Singapore, Public Utilities Board, Singapore, National Park Board, Singapore, Singapore Food Agency, and Enterprise Singapore. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 Elsevier B.V.

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N2 - Biochar, produced as a by-product of pyrolysis/gasification of waste biomass, shows great potential to reduce the environment impact, address the climate change issue, and establish a circular economy model. Despite the promising outlook, the research on the benefits of biochar remains highly debated. This has been attributed to the heterogeneity of biochar itself, with its inherent physical, chemical and biological properties highly influenced by production variables such as feedstock types and treating conditions. Hence, to enable meaningful comparison of results, establishment of an agreed international standard to govern the production of biochar for specific uses is necessary. In this study, we analyzed four key uses of biochar: 1) in agriculture and horticulture, 2) as construction material, 3) as activated carbon, and 4) in anaerobic digestion. Then the guidelines for the properties of biochar, especially for the concentrations of toxic heavy metals, for its environmental friendly application were proposed in the context of Singapore. The international status of the biochar industry code of practice, feedback from Singapore local industry and government agencies, as well as future perspectives for the biochar industry were explained.

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Biochar industry to circular economy

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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