A new study published in Biochar shows how agricultural and industrial wastes can be transformed into advanced porous carbon materials that may help protect soil and water resources. By combining laboratory surface analysis with a game theory-based decision-making method, researchers identified a set of promising materials that could support future applications in soil improvement, water retention, and environmental conservation.
As solid waste continues to grow worldwide, scientists are looking for ways to convert discarded biomass and industrial by-products into useful environmental materials. One promising option is morph-genetic porous carbon, or MGPC, a highly porous form of activated biochar. Because of its large surface area, stable carbon structure, and network of tiny pores, MGPC can interact with water, nutrients, and pollutants in ways that may benefit soil and water management.
In the new study, the research team produced biochar from eight waste sources, including rice straw, vineyard prunings, palm tree prunings, sawdust, vinasse, poultry slaughterhouse waste, paper mill waste, and tissue paper production waste. These raw materials were first converted into biochar through pyrolysis at 400 °C under low-oxygen conditions. The biochar was then activated at 800 °C using potassium hydroxide, phosphoric acid, or carbon dioxide to create MGPC with enhanced porous structures.
The team prepared 64 MGPC samples and evaluated their properties using Brunauer, Emmett and Teller, or BET, analysis. BET analysis measures key physical features of porous materials, including specific surface area, pore volume, and pore size distribution. These properties are important because they influence how well a material may hold water, adsorb molecules, and interact with soil particles.
However, choosing the best material was not straightforward. Different MGPC samples performed well under different criteria, making simple ranking difficult. To address this challenge, the researchers used the Condorcet algorithm, a game theory-based method that compares options pair by pair. This approach helps identify samples that perform strongly across multiple criteria while reducing reliance on subjective weighting.
"Our goal was not only to make porous carbon from waste, but also to create a rational way to decide which material is most suitable for soil and water conservation," said corresponding author Seyed Hamidreza Sadeghi. "By combining BET analysis with game theory, we can move from trial-and-error selection toward a more reproducible and science-based framework."
The results showed that chemically activated samples, especially those treated with potassium hydroxide at a 1:2 ratio, performed particularly well. Five priority samples were identified: rice straw-KOH-level 2, sawdust-KOH-level 2, palm tree pruning waste-KOH-level 2, vineyard pruning waste-KOH-level 2, and tissue factory waste-KOH-level 2. Among them, the rice straw-derived MGPC showed the highest BET surface area, reaching 1071.47 m² g⁻¹, along with a favorable micropore volume.
These findings suggest that common waste materials can be converted into high-value porous carbon products with potential use in soil amendment, water conservation, pollutant adsorption, and sustainable resource management. The study also highlights the value of decision-making tools in materials research, especially when scientists must compare many samples across multiple performance indicators.
While further testing is needed under real soil and water conditions, the framework offers a practical pathway for screening and prioritizing biochar-derived materials. For regions facing soil degradation, water scarcity, and growing waste-management pressures, such approaches could help turn environmental liabilities into useful tools for conservation.
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Journal Reference: Sadeghi, S.H., Zare, S., Gharehmahmudli, S. et al. Introducing priority morph-genetic porous carbon for potential applications in soil and water conservation through game theory. Biochar 8, 35 (2026).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s42773-025-00505-8
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About Biochar
Biochar (e-ISSN: 2524-7867) is the first journal dedicated exclusively to biochar research, spanning agronomy, environmental science, and materials science. It publishes original studies on biochar production, processing, and applications—such as bioenergy, environmental remediation, soil enhancement, climate mitigation, water treatment, and sustainability analysis. The journal serves as an innovative and professional platform for global researchers to share advances in this rapidly expanding field.
