The Innovation Team of Soil-Plant Interactions of the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning (IARRP) of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) was invited to publish a long review paper titled "Conversion of organic solid waste into energy and functional materials using biochar catalyst: bibliometric analysis, research progress, and directions" in Applied Catalysis B: Environmental (IF=22.1).

Solid waste is a significant source of environmental pollution due to its complex compositions and large quantities. The traditional methods used for treating organic solid waste are often inefficient, unable to recover energy and can even result in secondary pollution. However, catalytic conversion technology has a high resource recovery efficiency, making it a promising solution to convert waste into value-added products for organic waste treatment.

Biochar, with its abundant pore structure and surface functional groups, can efficiently catalyze the conversion of organic solid waste into biofuels, hydrogen gas, functional materials, aromatic compounds, and other value-added products, thereby utilizing waste as a valuable resource. Recent research in this field has resulted in significant advancements. This review specifically concentrates on biochar catalyst, utilizing bibliometric analysis to systematically categorize and summarize the research and development trends of biochar-catalyzed organic solid waste over past two decades since 2000. It provides new insights into the catalytic conversion of organic solid waste from various aspects, including conversion principles, influencing factors, and preparation of biochar catalyst. Additionally, it prospects the potential for research by integrating cutting-edge technologies such as computer-aided modeling and optimization, machine learning, and biochar in the context of a sustainable circular economy.

Applied Catalysis B: Environmental is a highly influential semi-monthly journal in the field of environmental chemistry, published by ELSEVIER. It covers state-of-the-art scientific and technological advances in environmental and energy catalysis, as well as the application of catalytic technologies in controlling environmental pollution, converting and utilizing clean energy, recycling waste, and achieving carbon neutrality. The journal releases a maximum of 24 annual review articles.

Dr. Zhang Qianru, a professor at the IARRP, is the co-first author and corresponding author of the review. This research was supported by the International Science & Technology Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Young Scientist Exchange Program between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Korea, and the State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-arid Arable Land in Northern China.

Paper link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2023.123223