Front Cover -- Biochar in Agriculture for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- List of contributors -- Preface -- I. Introduction -- 1 Agricultural waste-derived biochar for environmental management -- 1.1 Introduction -- 1.2 Biochar production and properties -- 1.2.1 Production of biochar -- 1.2.2 Biochar engineering -- 1.2.3 Biochar properties -- 1.3 Biochar for environmental management -- 1.3.1 Soil management -- 1.3.2 Air pollution control -- 1.3.3 Waste management -- 1.3.4 Water purification -- 1.3.5 Energy production -- 1.4 Summary -- Acknowledgments -- References -- 2 Biochar and sustainable development goals -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Biochar material -- 2.2.1 Production of biochar -- 2.2.2 Biochar properties -- 2.2.3 Biochar modification and functionalization -- 2.3 Sustainable soil management by biochar -- 2.3.1 Soil quality improvement -- 2.3.2 Contaminants immobilization -- 2.3.3 Carbon sequestration -- 2.4 Prospect and future recommendations -- 2.5 Conclusion -- Acknowledgment -- Reference -- II. Biochar Production and Tunable Properties -- 3 Biochar and its potential to increase water, trace element, and nutrient retention in soils -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Biochar application into degraded soil -- 3.2.1 Effects on selected physical properties -- 3.2.1.1 Bulk density and porosity -- 3.2.1.2 Water retention -- 3.2.1.3 Saturated hydraulic conductivity -- 3.2.2 Effect on selected chemical properties -- 3.2.2.1 Physicochemical characteristics of soil -- 3.2.2.2 Nutrient and trace element stabilization -- 3.3 Conclusions and future directions to applying biochars in degraded soils -- Acknowledgment -- References -- 4 Biochar for carbon sequestration and environmental remediation in soil -- 4.1 Biochar for carbon sequestration in soil.

4.1.1 Effect of pyrolysis conditions on the C retention of biochar -- 4.1.2 Carbon sequestration effect of biochar after addition to soil -- 4.2 Biochar for environmental remediation in soil -- 4.2.1 Remediation effect of biochar on heavy metals and metalloid-contaminated soil -- 4.2.2 Mechanisms of biochar on remediation of heavy metals and metalloid-contaminated soil -- 4.2.2.1 Electrostatic attraction -- 4.2.2.2 Ion exchange -- 4.2.2.3 Oxidation and reduction -- 4.2.2.4 Surface complexation -- 4.2.2.5 Precipitation -- 4.3 Conclusion and future perspectives -- References -- 5 Hydrochar and activated carbon materials from P- and N-rich biomass waste for environmental remediation and bioenergy app... -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 P- and N-rich biomass waste -- 5.2.1 Biomass waste valorization and (re)use -- 5.2.2 Why is the need to utilize P- and N-rich biomass waste? -- 5.3 Approaches and techniques to treat P- and N-rich biomass waste -- 5.3.1 Preparation of hydrochar and activated carbon materials -- 5.3.1.1 Conventional and microwave-assisted hydrothermal conversion -- 5.3.1.2 Conventional and microwave-assisted pyrolysis -- 5.3.2 Influencing factors on hydrochar and activated carbon materials preparation -- 5.4 Characterization of hydrochar and activated carbon materials -- 5.4.1 Phosphorus functional groups -- 5.4.1.1 Hedley's method -- 5.4.1.2 Standards, measurements, and testing protocol -- 5.4.1.3 P X-ray absorption near edge structure analysis -- 5.4.1.4 Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy analysis -- 5.4.2 Nitrogen functional groups -- 5.5 Environmental application of hydrochar and activated carbon materials -- 5.5.1 Water treatment -- 5.5.2 Soil remediation -- 5.5.3 Soil amendment agents -- 5.5.4 Solid biofuels -- 5.6 Economic feasibility and environmental impact of hydrochar and activated carbon materials.

7 Biochar production from lignocellulosic and nonlignocellulosic biomass using conventional and microwave heating -- 7.1 Pyrolysis for biochar production -- 7.2 Heating method for pyrolysis -- 7.2.1 Conventional pyrolysis -- 7.2.2 Microwave-assisted pyrolysis -- 7.2.2.1 Operating frequency and power -- 7.2.2.2 Dielectric properties of biomass -- 7.2.2.3 Advances in microwave-assisted pyrolysis -- 7.3 Conventional versus microwave-assisted pyrolysis -- 7.3.1 Comparison between biochar properties -- 7.3.2 Comparison between operating parameters -- 7.4 Conclusions and future prospects -- References -- 8 Biochar soil application: soil improvement and pollution remediation -- 8.1 Introduction -- 8.2 Biochar production technologies -- 8.3 Soil quality improvement -- 8.4 Soil pollution remediation -- 8.5 Economics of biochar production for soil enhancement -- 8.6 Conclusions -- References -- III. Biochar for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Production -- 9 Biochar for clean composting and organic fertilizer production -- 9.1 Introduction -- 9.2 The role of biochar on physical properties of cleaner composting -- 9.2.1 Moisture content -- 9.2.2 Aeration condition -- 9.3 The role of biochar on chemical properties of cleaner composting -- 9.3.1 Retention of nitrogen and reduction of ammonia gas emission -- 9.3.2 Reduction of greenhouse gas and prevention of odor gas -- 9.3.3 Promotion of passivating heavy metals during the composting process -- 9.3.4 The improvement of humification -- 9.3.5 Decomposition of organic contaminants in the course of composting process -- 9.4 The role of biochar on biological properties of cleaner composting -- 9.4.1 Enzyme -- 9.4.2 Abundance of microbial activity -- 9.5 Application and prospect of biochar in organic fertilizer production -- 9.6 Future prospective -- 9.7 Conclusion -- References.

10 Mineral-enriched biochar fertilizer for sustainable crop production and soil quality improvement -- 10.1 Introduction -- 10.2 Role of biochar in crop production -- 10.3 Biochar organo-mineral interaction in soil -- 10.4 Mineral-enriched biochar fertilizer -- 10.4.1 Synthesis and characterization -- 10.4.2 Physicochemical properties of biochar-mineral composite -- 10.4.3 Effect on soil physicobiochemical properties -- 10.4.4 Effect on crop productivity and yield -- 10.5 Future perspectives -- 10.6 Conclusions -- References -- 11 Effects of biochar on the environmental behavior of pesticides -- 11.1 Introduction -- 11.2 Effect of biochar on pesticide sorption -- 11.2.1 Sorption mechanisms -- 11.2.2 Effects of pesticides properties on adsorption -- 11.2.3 Environmental parameters -- 11.3 Effect of biochar on pesticide transformation -- 11.3.1 Hydrolysis -- 11.3.2 Catalytic oxidation -- 11.3.3 Photolysis -- 11.3.4 Biodegradation -- 11.4 Effect of biochar on bioavailability of soil animals and plants -- 11.4.1 Bioaccumulation by soil animals -- 11.4.2 Bioaccumulation by plants -- 11.5 Conclusions and future prospective -- References -- 12 Biochar nanoparticles: interactions with and impacts on soil and water microorganisms -- 12.1 Introduction -- 12.2 Generation of biochar nanoparticles -- 12.2.1 Biochar properties -- 12.2.1.1 Biomass -- 12.2.1.2 Pyrolysis -- 12.2.1.3 Fate and transport of BCNPs -- 12.2.2 Biochar nanoparticles in the environment -- 12.2.2.1 Soil amendment -- 12.2.2.2 Biochar nanoparticles and contaminant interactions -- 12.2.2.2.1 Pharmaceuticals -- 12.2.2.2.2 Metals and metalloids -- 12.2.2.2.3 Organic pollutants -- 12.3 Interaction of microorganisms with BCNPs during remediation processes -- 12.3.1 Surface interactions between BCNPs and microbes -- 12.3.2 Influence of BCNPs on microbial carbon and nutrient cycling.