Biochar-Based Materials for Water Purification: A Comprehensive Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17977/um067v6i12026p4Keywords:
Biochar, Water Purification, Adsorption, Wastewater Treatment, Environmental Remediation, Heavy Metals, Emerging ContaminantsAbstract
With the rapid industrialization, urbanization and agricultural developments, water pollution has emerged as one of the most critical environmental issues of the world. The traditional water treatment technologies are also costly, inefficient and have secondary pollutants. Biochar is a carbon rich material generated by thermochemical conversion of biomass in the absence of oxygen and has shown promise as a sustainable, economical adsorbent for water purification. The porous structure, high specific surface area, and large number of functional groups on the surface and tunable physicochemical properties make biochar a material that has proven to have very high potential to remove a wide range of contaminants from an aqueous environment. This review summarizes the technologies of biochar production, physicochemical properties and modification methods to improve adsorption performance. The mechanisms involved in pollutant removal, such as electrostatic interaction, ion exchange, filling the pore volume, surface complexation, and π–π interaction are critically discussed. Moreover, the application of pristine and engineered materials of biochar for heavy metal, dye, pharmaceuticals, nutrients and emerging contaminant remediation is systematically reviewed. Current problems with the large scale implementation, regeneration, environmental safety and economic feasibility are also discussed. Finally, future research directions are suggested to help the development of high-performance biochar based materials in sustainable water treatment technologies.
References
Ahmad, M., Lee, S. S., Rajapaksha, A. U., Vithanage, M., Zhang, M., Cho, J. S., Lee, S. E., & Ok, Y. S. (2013). Trichloroethylene adsorption by pine needle biochars produced at various pyrolysis temperatures. Bioresource Technology.
Ahmad, M., Rajapaksha, A. U., Lim, J. E., Zhang, M., Bolan, N., Mohan, D., Vithanage, M., Lee, S. S., & Ok, Y. S. (2014). Biochar as a sorbent for contaminant management in soil and water: A review. Chemosphere, 99, 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.10.071
Ali, I., Asim, M., & Khan, T. A. (2012). Low cost adsorbents for the removal of organic pollutants from wastewater. Journal of Environmental Management, 113, 170–183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.08.028
Beesley, L., Moreno-Jiménez, E., Gomez-Eyles, J. L., Harris, E., Robinson, B., & Sizmur, T. (2011). A review of biochars’ potential role in the remediation, revegetation and restoration of contaminated soils. Environmental Pollution, 159(12), 3269–3282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2011.07.023
Chen, B., Chen, Z., & Lv, S. (2011). A novel magnetic biochar efficiently sorbs organic pollutants and phosphate. Bioresource Technology, 102(2), 716–723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2010.08.067
Dong, Y., Zhang, H., Rahman, Z. U., Su, L., Chen, X., Hu, J., & Chen, X. (2023). Biochar-based materials for removal of emerging pollutants from aquatic environments. Environmental Research, 216, 114483.
Gao, B., Yao, Y., Zimmerman, A. R., Chen, H., Zhang, M., Zhao, L., Cao, X., & Yang, L. (2011). Engineered biochar reclaiming phosphate from aqueous solutions. Environmental Science & Technology, 45(20), 9050–9058. https://doi.org/10.1021/es202924w
Inyang, M., Gao, B., Yao, Y., Xue, Y., Zimmerman, A., Mosa, A., Pullammanappallil, P., Ok, Y. S., & Cao, X. (2016). A review of biochar as a low-cost adsorbent for aqueous heavy metal removal. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 46(4), 406–433. https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2015.1096880
Kumar, A., Joseph, S., Tsechansky, L., Schreiter, I. J., Schüth, C., Taherymoosavi, S., & Graber, E. R. (2020). Biochar aging in contaminated environments and implications for adsorption. Science of the Total Environment, 716, 137045. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137045
Li, H., Dong, X., da Silva, E. B., de Oliveira, L. M., Chen, Y., & Ma, L. Q. (2017). Mechanisms of metal sorption by biochars. Environmental Pollution, 231, 512–522. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.08.059
Liang, J., Yang, Z., Tang, L., Zeng, G., Yu, M., Li, X., Wu, H., Qian, Y., & Li, X. (2021). Biochar-based materials for environmental applications: A review. Biochar, 3(1), 1–29.
Lima, M. A., Islam, M. H., Neogi, S., Nasrin, K., Sen, A., Masood, A., David, G. S., Pathan, M. M., Olalekan, B. A., Bordin, C., & Hridoy, M. A. A. M. (2025). Recent advances in biochar technology for aquatic pollution control: A critical review of applications, barriers, and future opportunities. Discover Sustainability, 6, 980. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01581-3
Mandal, S., Pu, S., Adhikari, S., Ma, H., Kim, D. H., Bai, Y., Hou, D., & Tsang, D. C. W. (2021). Progress and future prospects in biochar composites for environmental remediation. Chemical Engineering Journal, 408, 127–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.127961
Mohan, D., Kumar, H., Sarswat, A., Alexandre-Franco, M., & Pittman, C. U. (2014). Cadmium and lead remediation using magnetic biochar. Chemical Engineering Journal, 236, 513–528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2013.09.057
Mohan, D., Sarswat, A., Ok, Y. S., & Pittman, C. U. (2014). Organic and inorganic contaminants removal from water with biochar, a renewable, low-cost and sustainable adsorbent. Bioresource Technology, 160, 191–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2014.01.120
Park, J. H., Choppala, G. K., Bolan, N. S., Chung, J. W., & Chuasavathi, T. (2011). Biochar reduces the bioavailability and phytotoxicity of heavy metals. Plant and Soil, 348(1–2), 439–451. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-0948-y
Qiu, B., Tao, X., Wang, H., Li, W., Ding, X., & Chu, H. (2021). Biochar as a low-cost adsorbent for aqueous heavy metal removal: A review. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 155, 105081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaap.2021.105081
Rajapaksha, A. U., Chen, S. S., Tsang, D. C. W., Zhang, M., Vithanage, M., Mandal, S., Gao, B., Bolan, N. S., & Ok, Y. S. (2016). Engineered/designer biochar for contaminant removal. Science of the Total Environment, 550, 924–941. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.01.069
Sun, K., Ro, K. S., Guo, M., Novak, J., Mashayekhi, H., & Xing, B. (2011). Sorption of bisphenol A and 17α-ethinyl estradiol by biochars. Bioresource Technology, 102(10), 5757–5763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2011.03.013
Tan, G., Sun, W., Xu, Y., Wang, H., & Xu, N. (2016). Sorption of mercury(II) and lead(II) by biochar from rice straw and municipal sewage sludge. Bioresource Technology, 211, 727–735. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2016.03.124
Tan, X., Liu, Y., Zeng, G., Wang, X., Hu, X., Gu, Y., & Yang, Z. (2015). Application of biochar for the removal of pollutants from aqueous solutions. Chemosphere, 125, 70–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.12.058
Wang, J., & Wang, S. (2019). Preparation, modification and environmental application of biochar: A review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 227, 1002–1022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.282
Wang, S., Gao, B., Li, Y., Zimmerman, A. R., Cao, X., Yang, L., & Harris, W. (2015). Removal of arsenic by magnetic biochar prepared from pinewood and iron oxide. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 290, 138–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2015.02.052
Xiang, W., Zhang, X., Chen, J., Zou, W., He, F., Hu, X., Tsang, D. C. W., Ok, Y. S., & Gao, B. (2020). Biochar technology in wastewater treatment. Environmental Research, 183, 109132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.109204
Yao, Y., Gao, B., Fang, J., Zhang, M., Chen, H., Zhou, Y., Creamer, A. E., Sun, Y., & Yang, L. (2014). Characterization and environmental applications of clay–biochar composites. Chemical Engineering Journal, 242, 136–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2013.12.074
Yin, Q., Liu, M., Ren, H., & Fu, H. (2021). The biochar produced from biomass waste for the remediation of heavy metals contamination in water and soil. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28, 63942–63955. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16205-z
Yu, J., Wang, L., Chi, R., Zhang, Y., Xu, Z., Guo, J., & Li, H. (2022). Advances in biochar-based materials for water purification. Environmental Chemistry Letters, 20(5), 2895–2918.
Zhao, L., Bian, R., Chen, D., Zhang, X., Liu, X., Zheng, J., Pan, G., & Crowley, D. (2018). Biochar as a carbon sink and its applications in environmental remediation. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 25, 21564–21579. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2386-4
Zhou, Y., Gao, B., Zimmerman, A. R., Chen, H., Zhang, M., & Cao, X. (2013). Biochar-supported zerovalent iron for removal of various contaminants. Bioresource Technology, 152, 538–542. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2013.11.021
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Zeena Razaq Katoof , Noor Ulhuda Sabah Hussein, Thaqeef Murtada Jawad

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.





1.png)
4.png)




