Sustainable production and application of biochar for energy storage and conversion

Efficient solutions for storing and converting energy sources with sustainable and environment-friendly materials play an increasingly important role in ensuring energy security and promoting the development of sustainable energy sectors. Biochar-based materials have been known as promising materials for energy storage and conversion applications owing to their superior structural properties (e.g., the porosity and large surface area) and diversity of functional groups, which can be exploited for safe, modern, and environment-friendly materials. In addition, owing to the abundance of raw materials (in particular, waste biomass sources), biochar-based materials for energy storage and conversion applications can be produced at a reasonable cost. This chapter presents a critical overview of the importance of biochar for energy storage and conversion applications and the presented biochar production and modification techniques. The potential applications and challenges of these biochar materials in the energy storage and conversion field are also discussed to make relevant judgments for the future.