Open Access

REVIEW

The Role of Biochar to Enhance Anaerobic Digestion: A Review

Shuai Tang¹, Zixin Wang², Zhidan Liu¹, Yuanhui Zhang², Buchun Si^1,*

1 Laboratory of Environment-Enhancing Energy (E2E), Key Laboratory of Agricultural Engineering in Structure and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
2 Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA

* Corresponding Author: Buchun Si. Email:

Journal of Renewable Materials 2020, 8(9), 1033-1052. https://doi.org/10.32604/jrm.2020.011887

Received 06 June 2020; Accepted 30 June 2020; Issue published 03 August 2020

Abstract

Biochar, one of the products of thermochemical conversion of biomass, possesses specific physiochemical properties such as conductivity, pore adsorption, surface functional groups, and cation exchange capacity. Anaerobic digestion (AD) as a classical bio-wastes conversion technology, suffers from inhibitions, process instability, and methanogenic inefficiency which limit its effi- ciency. With the advantages of pH buffering, functional microbes enrichment, inhibitors alleviating, and direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) accelerating, biochar suggests a promising application as additives for AD. Herein, this paper reviewed the noting physicochemical properties of biochar, and discussed its roles and related mechanisms in AD. Further, this paper highlighted the advantages and drawbacks, and pointed out the corresponding challenges and prospects for future research and application of biochar amending AD.

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Citations