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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Florence, South Carolina » Coastal Plain Soil, Water and Plant Conservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #425523
Research Project: Innovative Manure Treatment Technologies and Enhanced Soil Health for Agricultural Systems of the Southeastern Coastal Plain

Location: Coastal Plain Soil, Water and Plant Conservation Research

Title: Weathering of biochar: implications to soil health, carbon sequestration and soil remediation

Author
item BOLAN, NANTHI - University Of Western Australia
item Spokas, Kurt
item GROSS, ARTHUR - Martin Luther University
item GLASER, BRUNO - Martin Luther University
item MARTINS MELO, JOSE - Universidade Federal Do Ceara (UFC)
item Padilla, Joshua
item HOUBEN, DAVID - Unilasalle
item VELOSO, MURILO - Unilasalle
item SIDDIQUE, KADAMBOT - University Of Western Australia
item MUKHERJEE, SANTANU - Shoolini University
item BOLAN, SHIV - University Of Western Australia
item SHARMA, SHAILJA - Shoolini University

Submitted to: Environmental Earth Sciences
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/9/2026
Publication Date: 5/25/2026
Citation: Bolan, N., Spokas, K.A., Gross, A., Glaser, B., Martins Melo, J., Padilla, J.T., Houben, D., Veloso, M., Siddique, K., Mukherjee, S., Bolan, S., Sharma, S. 2026. Weathering of biochar: implications to soil health, carbon sequestration and soil remediation. Environmental Earth Sciences. 8. Article 102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42773-026-00615-x.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42773-026-00615-x

Interpretive Summary: Biochar is a charcoal-like substance produced by heating organic material at high temperatures in oxygen-limited conditions. Because biochar is rich in carbon, applying biochar to soil may be an effective strategy of storing carbon below ground. Furthermore, biochar’s chemical properties make it an attractive amendment for remediating contaminated soil. However, when biochar is applied to soil, changes in the physical and chemical properties of biochar occur, termed “weathering”. These changes may alter the effectiveness of biochar as a method of below ground carbon storage or soil remediation. This review paper provides a summary of the processes that control biochar weathering, the changes in biochar properties that occur due to weathering, and the effect of weathering on biochar’s ability to store carbon or remediate contaminated soils.

Technical Abstract: There has been increasing interest in the application of biochar as soil amendment to sequester carbon and remediate contamination. Although biochar contains stable carbon, when exposed in the field, biochar may be subject to physical, chemical and biological weathering processes, which could lead to fragmentation affecting its nature, characteristics and reactivity. These weathering-initiated changes in biochar is likely to alter significantly the interactions between biochar and soil components including microorganisms, thereby impacting carbon sequestration and soil remediation potentials of biochar. This review aims to provide an overview on various processes of biochar weathering, factors affecting the weathering processes, and the implication of biochar weathering on its potential value for carbon sequestration and soil remediation.