Bibliometric analysis of scientific research on biochar

Resumen

Objective: To identify the most relevant aspects of global scientific research on biochar
in terms of number of articles published, main authors and publishing countries, citation,
subjects of scientific journals, funding institutions and general trends.
Design/Methodology/Approach: A bibliometric study was carried out in the Scopus
database. The word "biochar" was used in the search engine. The search was limited to articles and reviews published from 2009 to March 2020. The VOS viewer software was used to identify the main thematic axes and to glimpse the knowledge gaps that exist to date.
Results: A total of 11,444 documents were identified. The trend of work on biochar is on
the rise. China and the United States are the countries with the most publications on
biochar. Jefferson Lehman and Stephen Josephs are the most cited authors on the
subject. Global research on biochar focuses on the mitigating effect of climate change
and the properties that this material has to improve the physicochemical properties of
the soil. Research on biochar in Mexico is scarce.

Study Limitations/Implications: Biochar is a new technology that is not fully
understood.
Findings/Conclusions: Interest in biochar as a multifaceted solution to agricultural and
environmental problems is growing at a rapid rate both domestically and internationally.