Biochar boost: revolutionizing functionalization of a difficult material.

The challenge with synthetically modified biochars is that they are notoriously difficult to characterize, and a new characterization approach that circumvents the challenges posed by overlapping bands in IR spectra is needed. We report multinuclear NMR approaches successful in the easy identification and quantification of covalently-bound functional groups on the biochar surface using P{H} CPMAS NMR spectroscopy.