Recent advancement in biochar production and utilization – A combination of traditional and bibliometric review

Biochar is one of the most environmentally friendly and cost-effective materials that has shown potential properties for applications in various areas. Several studies have therefore been conducted in the past years, covering several aspects of biochar production, properties, and applications. This study employed both traditional and bibliometric methods to conduct a comprehensive review of the research field in the past decade (2013–2023). The Biblioshiny package in the R software and the VOSviewer tool were used for the analysis. Data from the largest research database, i.e., Scopus, was used for bibliometric analysis. The outcome of the study indicates that China sits on top in terms of research output and collaborations. An annual growth rate of 13.6 % is recorded for biochar research. The study also identified an evolution with respect to the themes studied in the past years to cover topics such as life cycle assessment, circular bioeconomy, and the techno-economics of biochar. Even though biochar's efficiency depends on the pyrolysis conditions and the nature of biomass, its development is also expected to focus on fine-tuning its properties. The environmental as well as the agronomical benefits of biochar have been well researched during the study period. This review provides stakeholders and researchers with the needed information on the most studied topics in feedstocks, production, and applications of biochar.