Differences Between Charcoal and Biochar

	Charcoal	Biochar
Source	Primarily wood	Diverse biomass (wood, crops, manure, etc.)
Production	High-temperature, oxygen-limited burning	Low-oxygen, controlled temperature pyrolysis
Physical Properties	Mainly carbon, with a small amount of trace elements;low porosity	Various microelements; poriferous
Application	Fuel, water filtration, cooking, art/crafts	Soil amendment, carbon sequestration, energy
Environmental Impact	May contribute to air pollution, depends on production	Reduces greenhouse gases, improves soil quality

5 Main Differences Between Charcoal and Biochar

Physical Properties

Charcoal: Charcoal is a solid substance produced by the incomplete combustion of wood, or by pyrolysis under air-insulated conditions and it may also contain small amounts of hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. Charcoal has a high carbon content, but it is usually less stable than biochar due to production methods.

Biochar: Made from carbon-rich biomass (e.g., agricultural and forestry waste), biochar contains more than 60% carbon, as well as hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and many other trace elements, and contains more mineral nutrients. Biochar is more porous and has a larger surface area than charcoal. This pore structure helps it to adsorb and immobilize nutrients and pollutants in the soil, and at the same time provides a habitat for soil microorganisms, resulting in a healthy soil environment.

Raw Material Sources

Charcoal: Generally, wood and woody feedstock are the main feedstock of charcoal. Wood is preferred due to its high carbon content and availability. Large-scale charcoal production may have a negative impact on forest resources if unsustainable harvesting practices are used.

Biochar: Unlike charcoal, the range of available raw materials for biochar is greatly expanded. It includes wood waste, agricultural residues (such as rice husks, straw, nut shells, etc.), animal waste, and even sewage sludge. From the perspective of the source of raw materials, charcoal is to some extent a branch of biomass.
 

Production Methods

Charcoal: For the production of charcoal, the more traditional method is to stack wood, for example in a traditional earthen kiln, where the wood is heated under air-insulated conditions to decompose and produce charcoal. Under these conditions, the charcoal has a relatively low carbon content and a certain amount of carbon dioxide may be released during the production process.

Biochar: Biochar is produced through pyrolysis process. Pyrolysis occurs when the biomass is heated continuously in an oxygen-free environment and the temperature is maintained between 500°C and 700°C.

Biochar production is usually carried out using specialised biochar plants that can precisely control the temperature and time of the pyrolysis. This controlled heating process ensures that no significant amounts of carbon dioxide are released during pyrolysis and promotes the formation of a stable carbon structure for effective long-term carbon sequestration. Specialised biochar production equipment is also available on the market to capture the syngas, liquid products, etc. produced during the pyrolysis process to maximise the value of the biomass feedstock.
 

Applications

Charcoal: Charcoal is commonly used by people as a fuel for cooking and heating. On the other hand, due to its good adsorption properties, it is also used in water filtration systems to adsorb and remove impurities and odours from water. In addition, charcoal can be used as a reducing agent in the metal smelting process, but a certain amount of carbon dioxide will be produced in the reduction process.

Biochar: Biochar can adsorb harmful substances in the soil and remediate polluted soil; the porous structure of biochar not only improves water retention of the soil and increases the utilisation of nutrients, but also promotes the activities of soil microorganisms. In addition, biochar can be added to animal feed to improve animal health.
 

Environmental Impact

Charcoal: Charcoal production methods have important environmental impacts to a large extent. Traditional charcoal production causes serious pollution, emits harmful gases into the air and leads to deforestation. While more efficient modern production techniques are available, they are not always adopted. Burning charcoal for cooking and heating also produces air pollution, including carbon monoxide, particulate matter and other harmful compounds.

Biochar: The sustainability of biochar depends on its wide range of sources such as rice husks, nut shells, bagasse, palm EFB, etc., which make up a large portion of the agricultural waste biochar feedstock. Therefore, to some extent, the nature of biochar production can be recognized as secondary waste utilization. In addition, biochar locks in a large amount of carbon during its production and, due to its stable chemical structure, biochar can store carbon in the soil for a long time, thus reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This property makes biochar an important carbon sink technology.