Nanobiochar: A Nanostimulant for Enhancing Soil Quality and Sustainability

On a global scale, environmental pollution is one of the most critical issues that must be addressed as soon as possible. It may induce severe threats to ecosystem functioning by altering the physical, chemical, and biological properties. In addition, the pollutant will contaminate soil, water, and the air we breathe, making life unsustainable and thus compromising the quality of the environment. To solve these problems, scientists and researchers attempted various methods, and nanotechnology is one of them. Nanotechnologies remediate pollutants and toxic chemicals from soil and water because of their unique physicochemical properties, like high retention capacity, high surface area, and large pore space. Metallic nanoparticles are used to remove inorganic and organic contaminants from the system owing to higher efficiency in remediation capacity than the bulk material. In agricultural systems, these nanomaterials are commonly used to stimulate plant growth and remediate pollutants. However, these materials may accumulate in the system in the long run and harm soil microbes which are integral parts of the ecological system. In addition, the heavy metals present in metallic nanoparticles can cause toxicity to plants and organisms. Therefore, the extensive use of metallic nanoparticles to enhance environmental quality is unsustainable. It is believed that nanobiochar may solve this problem; first of all, it is organic, it provides some of the critical nutrients which are necessary for the plant’s growth and development, and, preferably, it can be prepared from wastes like agro-waste, kitchen waste, forest by-products, industrial waste, and animal waste. Nanobiochar stimulates some of the crucial soil enzyme activities and total microbial biomass of the soil. It can also adsorb antibiotics from the soil and aquatic system. Thus, nanobiochar acts as a nanostimulant for improving soil quality. Overall, this chapter discusses the beneficial properties of nanobiochar as a nanostimulant for enhancing soil quality and sustainability.