Biochar is charcoal derived from biological material or biomass through incomplete combustion or incomplete burning or controlled pyrolysis. The production of biochar from biomass and its utilization for energy or agricultural purposes is not a noveltechnology. Our ancestors were aware of the tremendous potential of biochar in transforming their soils into highly fertile and productive lands. They achieved this by producing charcoal from plant matter and incorporating it into the soil, resulting inremarkable agricultural productivity. Notably, the production and use of biochar have been practiced by humans for over 2500 years, particularly in the Amazon basin, where it has been extensively employed as a soil amendment to revive unproductive soilsand foster sustainable agriculture, supporting community settlements. Additionally, biochar-enriched soils have been discovered in Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Benin, Indonesia, Japan, Ecuador, Peru, and various other parts of the world, potentially formed through natural processes like forest fires, independent of human intervention. In addition to its agricultural benefits, biochar plays a crucial role in carbon sequestration by actively removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In recent times, biochar has been declared as one of the most promising strategies to combat climate change apart from its crucial role in agriculture by improving soil health as a soil amendment (IPCC, 2022; Mousavi et al., 2023).
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