Biochar-Enhanced Cementitious Materials for Sustainable Construction

Biochar-enhanced cementitious materials represent a promising strategy to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment while improving the functional performance of traditional concrete and mortar. Produced by the thermal decomposition of biomass under limited oxygen, biochar introduces a stable, carbon-rich phase into cementitious matrices that can sequester atmospheric CO₂ for centuries. When incorporated as a partial replacement for Portland cement or fine aggregate, biochar refines pore structure, provides nucleation sites for hydration products and moderates internal curing. The net effect is often an enhancement of compressive strength, reduced thermal conductivity and improved durability against freeze–thaw cycling, acid attack or chloride ingress. Moreover, biochar’s inherent porosity and surface chemistry enable reduced water demand, self-sensing capabilities and humidity regulation in hardened composites. By valorising agricultural and forestry residues, this approach contributes to circular-economy principles and aligns with global carbon-neutrality targets. Current challenges include optimising biochar dosage, tailoring pyrolysis conditions to engineer surface functional groups, and integrating accelerated carbonation curing to maximise CO₂ uptake without compromising mechanical integrity. Overall, the field is evolving towards multi-functional, carbon-negative cementitious products with applications ranging from structural elements to insulating panels and particleboards.

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Biochar-Enhanced Cementitious Materials for Sustainable Construction publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in biochar-enhanced cementitious materials for sustainable construction across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Biochar: carbon-rich solid obtained from the pyrolysis of biomass, used to sequester CO₂ and modify pore structure in cementitious composites.

Cementitious materials: binders, primarily Portland cement and its substitutes, that harden through chemical reactions with water to form stone-like matrices.

Hydration: exothermic chemical process by which cementitious binders react with water to produce strength-bearing phases such as calcium silicate hydrates.

Accelerated carbonation curing: treatment method exposing fresh cementitious products to elevated CO₂ concentrations, promoting carbonate formation for enhanced strength and carbon capture.

Compressive strength: the capacity of a material to withstand axial loads without fracturing, typically reported in megapascals (MPa) for concrete and mortar.

Porosity: fraction of void space within a solid material that influences permeability, strength and durability of cementitious composites.

References

1. Reducing the carbon footprint of buildings using biochar-based bricks and insulating materials: a review. Environmental Chemistry Letters (2023).
2. Novel typology of accelerated carbonation curing: using dry and pre-soaked biochar to tune carbon capture and mechanical properties of cementitious mortar. Biochar (2023).
3. A systematic experimental study on biochar-cementitious composites: Towards carbon sequestration. Industrial Crops and Products (2022).
4. Biochar as construction materials for achieving carbon neutrality. Biochar (2022).
5. Carbon-negative cement-bonded biochar particleboards. Biochar (2022).
6. Biochar-Added Cementitious Materials—A Review on Mechanical, Thermal, and Environmental Properties. Sustainability (2021).