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Keywords
Biochar
Thermochemical processes
Biochar applications
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Societal impact
Abstract
This article examines how the composition of agro-industrial biomass and pyrolysis conditions determine the molecular structure and functional performance of biochar from a materials engineering perspective. In the Colombian and Latin American context, the decentralized valorization of agricultural and forestry residues—including rice husks, sugarcane bagasse, urban pruning residues, oil palm residues, and coffee pulp—represents a strategic pathway toward energy transition and circular economy, in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals and the One Health approach. We describe the thermochemical processes (torrefaction, slow and fast pyrolysis, and gasification), together with complementary biological pathways, and we analyze the mechanisms governing biochar formation: depolymerization, fragmentation, aromatic condensation, and the development of structural defects. Based on these fundamentals, we present a framework linking the main biochar applications—carbon sequestration, soil improvement, heterogeneous catalysis, pollutant adsorption, and electrochemical energy storage—to the structural characteristics and synthesis conditions that promote their performance. We conclude that biochar should be understood as an engineered material rather than an undifferentiated by-product of pyrolysis and propose biochar engineering as a guiding framework for its development toward high-value-added applications.
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