Biochar as a Renewable Matrix for the Development of Encapsulated and Immobilized Novel Added-Value Bioproducts

The use of biochar has traditionally been focused on agronomic applications. Today it is possible to find a wide range of research devoted to study the use of biochar in the most varied fields. This is mainly due to its properties and the diversity of materials that can be used in their synthesis. Also, the conditions of operation in the process of synthesis (pyrolysis) can be easily modified to obtain a product with the desired features for a given application. Consequently, this review examines the biochar properties that are relevant to its applicability in three areas of high industrial interest; control release and immobilization, where it could serve as alternative, cheap and renewable support material to existing conventional types.