When the conversation turns to electronics, most people think of silicon chips, rare-earth metals, or lithium-ion batteries. Biochar is seldom on people’s minds. Yet, beneath its blackened carbon lattice lies a material that is increasingly being studied as a functional component in next-generation semiconductors and energy storage.

From conductive carbons in supercapacitors to sustainable anodes in lithium and sodium batteries, biochar is stepping out of the soil and into the circuitry.

Here is our little deep dive- 

1. Biochar in semiconductors: porous carbon meets nanoelectronics

Biochar’s highly porous, tunable structure makes it a natural candidate for semiconductor applications:

1. Carbon-based semiconductors: With controlled pyrolysis, biochar can be engineered into conductive carbons or doped with nitrogen, phosphorus, or metals to modify electronic properties. Studies show biochar-derived carbons exhibit conductivities approaching those of commercial activated carbons, at a fraction of the cost.

2. Sustainable substrates: Researchers are exploring biochar as a low-cost, renewable substrate material for thin-film semiconductors, reducing reliance on mined silica.

3. Thermal management: Electronics generate heat, and biochar’s high surface area enables efficient heat dissipation when integrated into composites.

Real-world example - A 2021 study in Journal of Cleaner Production demonstrated that biochar-derived carbon, doped with nitrogen, could act as a semiconducting material for sensors, with sensitivity comparable to graphene but sourced from waste biomass. In Asia, pilot labs are already embedding biochar carbons into low-cost gas sensors for air quality monitoring.

2. Biochar in batteries: from anodes to supercapacitors

Perhaps the most exciting frontier is energy storage, where biochar is being trialed as a substitute for conventional graphite and activated carbons:

1. Lithium-ion and sodium-ion anodes: Biochar anodes made from agricultural residues show high specific capacities and stable cycling over hundreds of charge - discharge cycles.

2. Supercapacitors: Biochar-derived activated carbons, with surface areas >1,500 m²/g, enable energy densities of 10 - 30 Wh/kg and power densities exceeding 10,000 W/kg, rivaling commercial carbons.

3. Metal–air batteries: Modified biochars doped with iron or cobalt serve as catalysts for oxygen reduction reactions, a key bottleneck in zinc- air and lithium -air batteries.

Real-world example - In 2022, researchers in South Korea produced high-performance sodium-ion battery anodes from pinecone-derived biochar, achieving stable capacity after 500 cycles. Meanwhile, European startups are scaling biochar-based carbons for supercapacitors used in renewable microgrids and e-mobility.

The synergy: biochar enabling circular, low-carbon electronics

Electronics face two critical sustainability problems: high material footprints and e-waste. Biochar offers solutions on all fronts. Instead of mined graphite or petroleum-based carbons, biochar taps into agricultural and forestry residues. Biochar-based carbons can be produced at lower temperatures and with less chemical input than synthetic carbons. Electronics embedded with biochar-derived carbons may be easier to recycle or reincorporate into soil as a nutrient-rich amendment, closing the material loop.

A Finnish research consortium is testing paper-industry waste as feedstock for biochar carbons in flexible batteries, showing how industrial by-products can become inputs for green electronics.

Why does this matter commercially ?

Electronics is a resource- and emissions-heavy sector. Producing 1 tonne of synthetic graphite anode material for batteries can emit 2 to 3 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. In contrast, biochar production can be carbon-negative, locking away 2 to 3 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per tonne produced, while also displacing fossil-based materials.

For battery makers, this means turning a high-cost, high-emission input into a climate-positive material and potentially generating carbon credits alongside device revenues. With the global battery market projected to hit US$400 billion by 2030, even a small substitution share (say 5%) could translate into a multi-billion-dollar opportunity for biochar-derived carbons.

Semiconductors, too, face geopolitical and supply-chain pressures. Biochar offers a decentralised, waste-to-value alternative that can localise parts of the electronics supply chain, reducing dependence on imported raw materials.

Biochar isn’t just about soil anymore, it’s about circuits, storage, and the sustainability of the digital age.