Biochar Application Increases the Amount of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium in the Soil: a Review

Biostimulants can be given to seeds, plants, and soil to encourage growth. Improved tolerance to abiotic stressors and higher seed and grain yields and quality results from these components altering critical and biochemical processes throughout plant development. The need for fertilizers can also be minimized because of biostimulants. Biochar is a biostimulant, a porous material with a high sorption capacity, which can be put directly into the soil with fertilizers. Biostimulants can be either naturally occurring or synthetically produced compounds that stimulate and activate the plant to resist stressful situations. When biomass is pyrolyzed in an oxygen-deficient environment, biochar is produced as a byproduct. It has a carbonaceous structure and several functional groups, making it permeable. Its molecular structure also demonstrates remarkable resistance to chemicals and microbes. The chemical and physical properties of biochar are very sensitive to the pyrolysis temperature and other process parameters, including residence time and furnace temperature.