Bibliometric analysis of scientific research on biochar

Abstract

Objective: To identify the most relevant aspects of global scientific research on biochar in terms of the number of articles published, main authors and producer countries, citation, journal or journal topics, funding institutions and general trends.

Design/ methodology/approach: A bibliometric research was carried out in the Scopus database. The word "biochar" was used as a 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 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 biochar publications. Jefferson Lehman and Stephen Josephs are the most cited authors on the subject. Global research in 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.

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.