Developments in biochar application for pesticide remediation: Current knowledge and future research directions

The indiscriminate use of pesticides due to modern agricultural practices has received special attention from the scientific community to address the persistence, recalcitrance and multi-faceted toxicity of several pesticides. Pesticides are hazardous/toxic and can accumulate easily into non-target organisms including humans and other life forms. Several studies have been performed to investigate the effect of biochar addition for pesticide remediation. This review provides a comprehensive information on biochar amendment for the remediation of persistent organic pollutants such as pesticides. The types of pesticides and their hazards to life forms are briefly introduced before detailing biochar production, its characteristics and applications. Biochar addition in pesticide polluted environment offers the following advantages: (a) increases the soil water holding capacity, (b) improves aeration conditions in soil, and (c) provides habitat for the growth of microorganisms, thereby facilitating microbial community for metabolic activities and pesticide degradation. This paper also provides an up-to-date review on remediation of pesticides using biochar, the knowledge gaps and the future research directions in this field to evaluate the effect of biochar addition on agricultural and environmental performances.