Critical review on the use of biochar in poultry industry: benefits, characteristics and applications

SUMMARY Over the past few years, poultry farmers have faced many problems in producing quality products. This study assessed waste biomass as a long-term investment solution for poultry production, which can help improve the poultry industry globally. Biochar is defined as a carbonaceous substance produced by the thermochemical reaction of waste biomass at temperatures typically less than 700°C and has vast applicability in soil fertilisation, pollutants adsorption, and poultry production systems. The current review examines the development patterns in biochar research literature data collected from the Web of Science and Google Scholar. The main hotspots found in this search were biochar production, its effect on poultry production and performance. Additionally, biochar and poultry production have recently received much attention, indicating that biochar use in the poultry industry for intensive production is of interest. The current review focuses on the different biomaterials used in the production of biochar and various other products via biochar production processes such as pyrolysis, thermochemical, hydrothermal, and microwave processes. Furthermore, this analysis focuses on the synthetic processes used to produce biochar and its numerous applications in the poultry business. The review also tries to identify gaps in our current knowledge of biochar and propose a few future directions.