A comprehensive review on transforming lignocellulosic materials into biocarbon and its utilization for composites applications

Growing consumption trends put a strain on natural resource availability as the needs of near-term production targets are prioritized over that of long-term sustainability. In our current linear economic system, raw materials are transformed into useful products for consumption and subsequently disposed of. To achieve environmental sustainability, a circular economic system should be evaluated with the goal to examine and implement potential recovery pathways for waste products. There has been a growing interest in synthesizing biofuels via pyrolysis to move away from unsustainable and disruptive petroleum supply-chains. This aids in achieving sustainability as the products of pyrolysis can be recovered for a wide range of applications. This pyrolysis byproduct is commonly used for agricultural applications and has been receiving recognition due to emerging research on its implementation for composite materials to provide an alternative to carbon black (petroleum-based). As researchers are recognizing the advantages and uncovering more recovery channels for biocarbon, a comprehensive understanding of the recent developments and challenges is required to critically assess the viability of this product to be used in various industries. Given a lack of reviews drawing attention to the emerging application, this work aims to provide a comprehensive view of the processes involved to transform agricultural products into biocarbon. This review includes discussion of the lignocellulosic feedstock degradation, analysis of the pyrolysis process effects on biocarbon properties, and the emerging novel applications for biocarbon based composite materials.