A review of pesticides sorption in biochar from maize, rice, and wheat residues: current status and challenges for soil application

The use of pesticides has been increasing in recent years for maintaining traditional agricultural practices. However, these chemicals are associated with several environmental impacts, demanding urgent remediation techniques. Biochar is a carbonaceous material produced by pyrolysis that has the potential for pesticide sorption and remediation. In this context, this interdisciplinary review systematically assessed the state of the knowledge of crop residues to produce biochar for pesticide sorption. We focused on maize, rice, and wheat residues since these are the three most-produced grains worldwide. Besides, we evaluated different biochar handling, storage, and soil dispersion techniques to ease its implementation in agriculture. In general, pyrolysis temperature influences biochar characteristics and its potential for pesticide sorption. Furthermore, biochar amended soils had greater pesticide sorption capacity, limiting potential leaching and runoff. Most studies showed that the feedstock and specific surface area influence the biochar sorption properties, among other factors. Also, biochar reduces pesticides’ bioavailability, decreasing their toxicity to soil organisms and improving soil fertility and crop yields. Nonetheless, the retrieved papers assessed only 21 pesticides, mainly consisting of lab-scale batch experiments. Therefore, there is still a gap in studies evaluating biochar aging, its potential desorption, pesticide co-contaminations, the associated microbiological processes, and field applications. Determining flow properties for biochars of different sizes and pellets is vital for reliable handling equipment design, and performing techno-economic assessment under different farm contexts is encouraged. Ultimately, coupling biochar production with residue management could address this challenge on sustainable agricultural systems