Biochar application to soil is a potentially scalable carbon management strategy with the capability of achieving negative greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, biochar is also linked to the water-energy-food nexus (WEFN) through its potential to modify soil properties to improve agricultural productivity. Potential benefits include increased yield and reduced demand for water, fertilizers and other inputs. However, the current literature on biochar is highly fragmented, with a significant research gap in system-level analysis to synchronize production, logistics and application into a sustainable carbon management strategy. Process systems engineering (PSE) can provide a framework to allow the potential benefits of biochar systems to be optimized. This article gives an overview of biochar as a strategy to address carbon management and WEFN issues, reviews relevant scientific literature, analyzes bibliometric trends, and maps potential areas for the application of PSE to the planning of large-scale biochar systems.

生物炭在土壤中的应用是一种潜在的可扩展的碳管理策略，具有实现负温室气体排放的能力。此外，生物炭还具有改变土壤性质，提高农业生产力的潜力，因此也与水能-食品-食物关系（WEFN）相关联。潜在的好处包括增加产量，减少对水，肥料和其他投入物的需求。但是，当前有关生物炭的文献高度分散，在系统级分析中将生产，物流和应用同步化为可持续碳管理策略方面存在重大研究空白。工艺系统工程（PSE）可以提供一个框架，以使生物炭系统的潜在利益得到优化。