Biochar Beyond Soil Amendment: Emerging Biological, Environmental, and Biomedical Properties and Applications
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology and Animal Sciences, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, ul. Kozuchowska 7, 51-631 Wroclaw, Poland
- 2Laboratory of Preclinical Research “In VetBio”, Applied Biology Center, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Norwida 31, 50-375 Wroclaw, Poland
- 3Department of Environment, Animal Hygiene and Welfare, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Chelmonskiego 38C, 51-630 Wroclaw, Poland
- 4Department of Cellular Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383 Wroclaw, Poland
Abstract
Biochar is increasingly being explored beyond its established environmental and agricultural uses as a functional material that interacts with microorganisms, cells, and biological molecules. However, biochar is not a uniform material, and its biological effects cannot be interpreted independently of feedstock composition, production conditions, particle size, surface chemistry, and post-production modification. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the relationships between these physicochemical characteristics and the biological responses associated with biochar and biochar-based materials. This review examines how specific physicochemical characteristics of biochar relate to interaction mechanisms and biological responses, while identifying areas where mechanistic evidence remains limited. Particular attention is given to adsorption, electron transfer, microbial habitat formation, biomolecule binding, and mineral precipitation as mechanisms that may underlie changes in oxidative balance, antimicrobial activity, animal physiology, cellular responses, and tissue regeneration. The review also critically considers emerging nanobiochar and engineered composites investigated as drug carriers, wound-healing materials, regenerative scaffolds, and platforms for anticancer therapy. Importantly, reported effects often depend on highly heterogeneous materials and experimental models, and the biological contribution of the biochar matrix is not always clearly distinguished from that of incorporated metals, polymers, drugs, or other functional components. Current evidence therefore supports biochar as a tunable platform rather than a universally bioactive material. Its successful development for biological and biomedical applications will require standardized production and characterization as well as mechanism-oriented experimental designs.
Related
- Antibiotic resistance genes in aquaculture: Molecular detection, environmental dynamics, and biological control strategies
- Biological and environmental correlates of cougar (Puma concolor) survival in west central Alberta
- Dynamic life cycle assessment in environmental assessment of processes and products: A scoping review of sectoral applications, digitalization, decision support, and policy relevance
- Electrode Architectures in Biophotoelectrochemical Systems for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Applications
- Effects of aged and pristine microplastics on physical, chemical, and biological soil properties
BibTeX
@article{amin2026biochar,
title = {{Biochar Beyond Soil Amendment: Emerging Biological, Environmental, and Biomedical Properties and Applications}},
author = {Sidra Amin and Agnieszka Śmieszek and Sebastian Opaliński and Magdalena Wołoszyńska},
journal = {Molecules},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31203648},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/20/3648},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Biochar Beyond Soil Amendment: Emerging Biological, Environmental, and Biomedical Properties and Applications
AU - Sidra Amin
AU - Agnieszka Śmieszek
AU - Sebastian Opaliński
AU - Magdalena Wołoszyńska
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Molecules
DO - 10.3390/molecules31203648
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/20/3648
AB - Biochar is increasingly being explored beyond its established environmental and agricultural uses as a functional material that interacts with microorganisms, cells, and biological molecules. However, biochar is not a uniform material, and its biological effects cannot be interpreted independently of feedstock composition, production conditions, particle size, surface chemistry, and post-production modification. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the relationships between these physicochemical characteristics and the biological responses associated with biochar and biochar-based materials. This review examines how specific physicochemical characteristics of biochar relate to interaction mechanisms and biological responses, while identifying areas where mechanistic evidence remains limited. Particular attention is given to adsorption, electron transfer, microbial habitat formation, biomolecule binding, and mineral precipitation as mechanisms that may underlie changes in oxidative balance, antimicrobial activity, animal physiology, cellular responses, and tissue regeneration. The review also critically considers emerging nanobiochar and engineered composites investigated as drug carriers, wound-healing materials, regenerative scaffolds, and platforms for anticancer therapy. Importantly, reported effects often depend on highly heterogeneous materials and experimental models, and the biological contribution of the biochar matrix is not always clearly distinguished from that of incorporated metals, polymers, drugs, or other functional components. Current evidence therefore supports biochar as a tunable platform rather than a universally bioactive material. Its successful development for biological and biomedical applications will require standardized production and characterization as well as mechanism-oriented experimental designs.
SN - 1420-3049
ER -