A sticky, toxic byproduct seen as a costly nuisance in renewable energy production may hold the key to a new wave of clean technology, researchers say.
Bio-tar, a thick liquid formed when crop waste, wood or other organic material is burned to produce biochar and energy, is often blamed for damaging equipment, clogging pipes, and polluting the environment.
But a new review, published in Biochar, argues that this waste can be converted into “bio-carbon”, a high-value material that may help cut emissions, generate profits and boost sustainability.
“Our review highlights how turning bio-tar into bio-carbon not only solves a technical problem for the bioenergy industry but opens the door to producing advanced carbon materials with high economic value,” said Dr Zonglu Yao from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the paper’s senior author.
Unlike conventional biochar, bio-carbon carries higher carbon content, lower ash and structural features that make it suitable for advanced uses, the paper says.
Early studies suggest that it can serve as a clean-burning fuel, a catalyst for greener chemical reactions and even as electrode material in next-generation batteries and supercapacitors vital for renewable energy storage.
It can also help clean polluted water and air by trapping heavy metals and organic contaminants.
The review details how oxygen-rich compounds inside bio-tar tend to polymerise, that is, link together into larger carbon structures. By adjusting heat, additives and reaction time, scientists can channel this process into making bio-carbon of tailored properties.
The researchers say the transformation is not just technically feasible but economically promising.
Replacing coal with bio-carbon fuels can help reduce hundreds of millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide each year while adding new revenue streams for biomass plants.
However, the researchers caution that the complexity of bio-tar still poses challenges. Large-scale production methods are still not established, and controlling the chemical process remains difficult.
They recommend combining laboratory work with computer simulations and machine learning to design more efficient pathways.
“Bio-tar polymerisation is not just about waste treatment,” Yuxuan Sun, the paper’s lead author, explained, “it represents a new frontier for creating sustainable carbon materials.”
The findings come as nations around the world search for ways to cut emissions from both energy and industry, with experts warning that renewable systems alone will not be enough to decarbonise heavy sectors like chemicals, cement and steel.
Technologies that turn waste into usable products – known as “circular economy” solutions – are increasingly seen as part of the answer.
If proven at scale, the researchers said, bio-carbon could help solve one of the biggest obstacles in biomass energy while creating materials that support a cleaner economy.
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