Biochar for sustainable soil management: Enhancing soil fertility, plant growth and climate resilience

Biochar is increasingly regarded as a multifunctional amendment with the potential to enhance soil fertility, improve crop productivity, and contribute to climate change mitigation. This review examines 168 peer-reviewed studies published between 2005 and 2025 to assess the effects of biochar on soil physicochemical properties, microbial processes, nutrient dynamics, and environmental remediation. The findings indicate that biochar performance is highly dependent on feedstock type, pyrolysis conditions, soil characteristics, and climatic factors. Biochar improves soil structure, pH buffering capacity, cation exchange capacity, microbial resilience, yield improvement and greenhouse gas mitigation, but also presents risks such as nutrient immobilization and contaminant accumulation. Long-term application may alter soil biogeochemistry and microbial community structure. The review also evaluates barriers to field-scale adoption, including production cost, lack of technical knowledge, and limited policy support. Furthermore, it outlines future directions involving quality control, integration into circular bioeconomy systems, and carbon credit frameworks. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of biochar's potential and limitations within sustainable soil management strategies under varying environmental and socioeconomic conditions. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.