Advances and prospects of multifunctional biochar-based materials from organic solid waste of traditional Chinese medicine: A review

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays a significant role in healthcare, yet the pharmaceutical process generates substantial amounts of organic solid waste (OSW) due to the low proportion of active species in medicinal plants. Traditional disposal methods, such as incineration or landfill, pose significant environmental challenges and fail to recycle valuable resources. Consequently, there is an urgent need for sustainable and high-value utilization strategies to address this issue. Recent research indicates that OSW of TCM is an ideal raw material for preparing biochar-based functional materials due to its high cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin content. Notably, these biochar-based materials exhibit excellent potential in environmental remediation, bio-imaging, drug delivery, and energy storage. However, systematic reviews on the preparation, modification, and application of biochar derived from the OSWs of TCM are lacking. This review summarizes the research progress in these areas and discusses the prospects and challenges associated with biochar-based functional materials from the OSWs of TCM. It aims to provide insights into the high-value preparation and recycling of biochar-based functional materials from TCM waste.