Biochar offers a new, sustainable tool for nuclear safety

A common, charcoal-like material made from plant waste could become an unexpected ally in making nuclear technology cleaner and safer, according to a new review in the journal Biochar. The study highlights how “biochar” can help trap radioactive elements, improve radiation shielding, and support cleaner nuclear processes, all while storing carbon in the ground.

Biochar is produced by heating biomass such as wood chips, crop residues, or manure in a low oxygen environment, a process known as pyrolysis. This treatment creates a stable, carbon rich material with a very large internal surface area and a maze of microscopic pores. Those features give biochar a strong ability to grab and hold contaminants, a property that has already made it attractive for cleaning soils and water.

The new review examines how those same properties can be harnessed in nuclear science and technology. The authors show that biochar can efficiently adsorb and immobilize a wide range of radioactive elements, including uranium, cesium, strontium, technetium, and rhenium, in both water and soil. In laboratory and field studies, biochar made from materials such as eucalyptus wood, reed straw, rice straw, and agricultural waste removed up to 90 to 99 percent of dissolved uranium or other radionuclides under optimized conditions. In contaminated soils, adding biochar reduced the uptake of uranium by plants, which lowers the risk of radioactive elements entering food chains.

Biochar’s potential is not limited to waste cleanup. Because it is mostly carbon and can be produced as a lightweight solid, biochar can also play a role in radiation shielding, an essential safety feature around reactors, medical facilities, and research labs. On its own, biochar is less dense than traditional shielding materials such as lead or concrete, but its porous structure can host metal oxides or other high atomic number additives that greatly enhance its shielding performance. Studies of biochar composites combined with metals or polymers have already shown promising results for blocking gamma rays, neutrons, and electromagnetic interference, while remaining lighter and easier to handle than conventional shields.

The review also points to emerging uses of biochar as a catalyst or catalyst support in nuclear related environmental remediation. The functional groups on biochar’s surface and its large surface area help support metal particles and drive reactions that break down pollutants or convert them into less harmful forms, including in advanced oxidation processes for nuclear wastewater.

Beyond performance, the authors emphasize sustainability and cost. Biochar can be made from low value or waste biomass, such as crop residues and forestry by products, turning a disposal problem into a resource. Because the carbon in biochar is very stable and can remain in soils for hundreds of years, using it in nuclear sites can contribute to long term carbon storage while also reducing contamination. Life cycle assessments cited in the review show that biochar based approaches can cut the overall climate and environmental footprint of remediation compared to many conventional methods.

However, the authors caution that important gaps remain before biochar can be widely deployed in nuclear facilities. Many studies so far are short term and laboratory based, so the long term stability of biochar under high radiation, heat, and real world conditions is not yet fully understood. There are also open questions about how to safely manage spent biochar that has captured radionuclides, how to scale up production with consistent quality, and how to meet strict nuclear regulations and public expectations.

To address these challenges, the review calls for more pilot and field scale projects, standardized production methods for nuclear grade biochar, and closer collaboration between materials scientists, nuclear engineers, regulators, and industry. The authors argue that with continued research and careful safety assessment, biochar could become a key part of a more sustainable nuclear future, helping manage radioactive waste, protect workers and communities, and reduce the environmental footprint of nuclear technology.

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Journal Reference: Kordrostami, M., Ghasemi-Soloklui, A.A. Innovative applications of biochar in nuclear remediation and catalysis. Biochar 7, 74 (2025).

https://doi.org/10.1007/s42773-025-00463-1  

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About Biochar

Biochar is the first journal dedicated exclusively to biochar research, spanning agronomy, environmental science, and materials science. It publishes original studies on biochar production, processing, and applications—such as bioenergy, environmental remediation, soil enhancement, climate mitigation, water treatment, and sustainability analysis. The journal serves as an innovative and professional platform for global researchers to share advances in this rapidly expanding field. 

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