Particulate emissions from the combustion of diesel have always been the main concern, especially in recent years, with continuously stringent particulate emission regulation for diesel engines. To alleviate the problem, biodiesel has been received great attention because of its being environment-friendly, widely available and renewable. The application of biodiesel in diesel engines changes the combustion process, thus varies physicochemical property of the particulate matter (PM) formed, which in turn influences the oxidative reactivity of soot particles. In view of this, it is particularly important to analyze soot particles from the diesel engine fueled with biodiesels. This review focus on the effects of biodiesels on the physicochemical properties of soot particles, such as surface morphology, nanostructure, active surface area, element composition, elemental and organic carbon contents, surface functional groups, sp2 and sp3 hybridizations, etc. The impact of engine operating conditions (i.e. engine load, engine speed, fuel injection timing, fuel injection pressure, exhaust gas recirculation, etc.) on characteristics of soot particles from diesel engines powered by biodiesel is also discussed. Whereafter, the relationships between soot physicochemical characteristics and soot oxidative reactivity are reviewed. Finally, the main conclusions are outlined as well as the proposed research work in the future. Display omitted •Biodiesel production and fuel properties are introduced.•Effect of biodiesel on diesel soot physicochemical properties is thoroughly detailed.•Correlation of soot properties with its oxidative reactivity is completely analyzed.•Biodiesel blending elevates diesel soot reactivity to favor DPF regeneration.