Beyond the Bench: Contextualizing the Impacts of Char Redox Properties on Biogeochemical Cycling and Microbial Ecosystem Services

The electrochemical properties of chars have been recently described, positioning chars as active participants in microbial redox processes through functional groups, aromatic structures, redox-active metals, and radicals. While bench-scale studies have advanced mechanistic understanding of char’s behavior and potential effects, translating these findings to complex ecosystems remains challenging. This is mainly due to the complexities of microbial communities and the unique properties of various ecosystems. Factors like char aging and patina formation, and environmental parameters including oxygen and moisture availability, pH, and organic matter content can significantly affect char electrochemical properties and microbial interactions. This highlights the need for a broader understanding of char redox processes to predict and effectively manage unintended environmental impacts or enhance beneficial effects. Long-term monitoring of complex systems amended with char is also needed to determine whether char accumulation has long-term redox effects on microbial ecosystem services, including biogeochemical cycling. Predictive understanding of these processes would inform the production of chars to enhance beneficial processes such as increased soil productivity, and provide new opportunities for engineered environmental remediation. Here, we summarize how char redox properties affect well-defined microbial systems and discuss key factors that determine whether the effects of char redox properties are enhanced or attenuated in complex systems. We also identify critical knowledge gaps about chars’ role in microbial redox processes that are important for environmental sustainability and postulate that managing char’s redox properties, such as electron donating, accepting, or conducting ability, is an emerging opportunity to influence microbial ecosystem services.