<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//NLM//DTD JATS (Z39.96) Journal Publishing DTD v1.4 20241031//EN"
        "https://jats.nlm.nih.gov/publishing/1.4/JATS-journalpublishing1-4.dtd">
<article  article-type="research-article"        dtd-version="1.4">
            <front>

                <journal-meta>
                                                                <journal-id>ejss</journal-id>
            <journal-title-group>
                                                                                    <journal-title>Eurasian Journal of Soil Science</journal-title>
            </journal-title-group>
                                        <issn pub-type="epub">2147-4249</issn>
                                                                                            <publisher>
                    <publisher-name>Türkiye Toprak Bilimi Derneği</publisher-name>
                </publisher>
                    </journal-meta>
                <article-meta>
                                        <article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.18393/ejss.1885879</article-id>
                                                                <article-categories>
                                            <subj-group  xml:lang="en">
                                                            <subject>Soil Sciences and Plant Nutrition (Other)</subject>
                                                    </subj-group>
                                            <subj-group  xml:lang="tr">
                                                            <subject>Toprak Bilimleri ve Bitki Besleme (Diğer)</subject>
                                                    </subj-group>
                                    </article-categories>
                                                                                                                                                        <title-group>
                                                                                                                        <article-title>Integrated physicochemical and structural characterization of date palm pit–derived biochar produced by slow pyrolysis</article-title>
                                                                                                    </title-group>
            
                                                    <contrib-group content-type="authors">
                                                                        <contrib contrib-type="author">
                                                                    <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">
                                        https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7285-1566</contrib-id>
                                                                <name>
                                    <surname>Salata</surname>
                                    <given-names>Amjed</given-names>
                                </name>
                                                                    <aff>Department of Experimental Biology and Biotechnology, Institute of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. Yeltsin, Ekaterinburg, 620002, Russia</aff>
                                                            </contrib>
                                                    <contrib contrib-type="author">
                                                                    <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">
                                        https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6663-9948</contrib-id>
                                                                <name>
                                    <surname>Borisova</surname>
                                    <given-names>Galina</given-names>
                                </name>
                                                                    <aff>Department of Experimental Biology and Biotechnology, Institute of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. Yeltsin, Ekaterinburg, 620002, Russia</aff>
                                                            </contrib>
                                                    <contrib contrib-type="author">
                                                                    <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">
                                        https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1686-6071</contrib-id>
                                                                <name>
                                    <surname>Maleva</surname>
                                    <given-names>Maria</given-names>
                                </name>
                                                                    <aff>Department of Experimental Biology and Biotechnology, Institute of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. Yeltsin, Ekaterinburg, 620002, Russia</aff>
                                                            </contrib>
                                                                                </contrib-group>
                        
                                        <pub-date pub-type="pub" iso-8601-date="20260401">
                    <day>04</day>
                    <month>01</month>
                    <year>2026</year>
                </pub-date>
                                        <volume>15</volume>
                                        <issue>2</issue>
                                        <fpage>242</fpage>
                                        <lpage>252</lpage>
                        
                        <history>
                                    <date date-type="received" iso-8601-date="20251128">
                        <day>11</day>
                        <month>28</month>
                        <year>2025</year>
                    </date>
                                                    <date date-type="accepted" iso-8601-date="20260204">
                        <day>02</day>
                        <month>04</month>
                        <year>2026</year>
                    </date>
                            </history>
                                        <permissions>
                    <copyright-statement>Copyright © 2012, Eurasian Journal of Soil Science</copyright-statement>
                    <copyright-year>2012</copyright-year>
                    <copyright-holder>Eurasian Journal of Soil Science</copyright-holder>
                </permissions>
            
                                                                                                <abstract><p>Biochar, a carbon-rich material produced via biomass pyrolysis, has attracted growing attention due to its diverse physicochemical properties and potential relevance in soil-related and environmental applications. In this study, biochar was produced from date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) pit residues, an abundant agro-industrial by-product, through slow pyrolysis at temperatures of 350 °C. The resulting material was systematically characterized to evaluate its physicochemical and structural attributes using proximate analysis, pH and cation exchange capacity (CEC) measurements, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis. The characterization results revealed that the produced biochar had a high yield of 75%, a low ash content (1.22%), and an acidic pH of 4.46. The biochar also exhibited a carbon-rich composition with a fixed carbon content of 27.3%, a measurable BET surface area of 18.22 m² g⁻¹, and a cation exchange capacity of 20.45 (cmol(+) kg⁻¹) These properties reflect the structural and chemical features of the biochar generated under the applied pyrolysis conditions. While no soil or biological performance was evaluated in this study, the measured physicochemical characteristics suggest potential relevance for future soil-based or environmental assessments. Overall, this work demonstrates the valorization of date palm pit residues into biochar with well-defined physicochemical and structural properties, contributing to waste management strategies and circular bioeconomy approaches. Further studies are recommended to assess the performance of this material under specific application conditions.</p></abstract>
                                                            
            
                                                            <kwd-group>
                                                    <kwd>Date palm pit biochar</kwd>
                                                    <kwd>  slow pyrolysis</kwd>
                                                    <kwd>  physicochemical properties</kwd>
                                                    <kwd>  porous structure</kwd>
                                                    <kwd>  cation exchange capacity</kwd>
                                                    <kwd>  agro-industrial residue</kwd>
                                            </kwd-group>
                            
                                                                                                                    <funding-group specific-use="FundRef">
                    <award-group>
                                                    <funding-source>
                                <named-content content-type="funder_name">Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation</named-content>
                            </funding-source>
                                                                            <award-id>FEUZ-2024-0011</award-id>
                                            </award-group>
                </funding-group>
                                </article-meta>
    </front>
    <back>
                            <ref-list>
                                    <ref id="ref1">
                        <label>1</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Akça, M.O., Namlı, A., 2015. Effects of poultry litter biochar on soil enzyme activities and tomato, pepper and lettuce plants growth. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science 4(3): 161 - 168.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref2">
                        <label>2</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Alkhoori, M.A., Kong, A.S.Y., Aljaafari, M.N., Abushelaibi, A., Erin Lim, S.H., Cheng, W.H., Chong, C. M., Lai, K.S., 2022. Biochemical composition and biological activities of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) seeds: A review. Biomolecules 12(11): 1626.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref3">
                        <label>3</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Amin, F.R., Huang, Y., He, Y., Zhang, R., Liu, G., Chen, C., 2016. Biochar applications and modern techniques for characterization. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 18: 1457–1473.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref4">
                        <label>4</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Bird, M., Keitel, C., Meredith, W., 2017. Analysis of biochars for C, H, N, O and S by elemental analyzer. In: Biochar: A Guide to Analytical Methods. Singh, B., Camps-Arbestain, M., Lehmann, J. (Eds.). CSIRO Publishing, pp. 39–50.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref5">
                        <label>5</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Blake, G.R., 1965. Bulk density. In: Methods of Soil Analysis: Part 1 Physical and Mineralogical Properties, Including Statistics of Measurement and Sampling, 9.1. Black, C.A. (Ed.). American Society of Agronomy, pp. 374–390.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref6">
                        <label>6</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Burezq, H., Davidson, M.K., 2023. Biochar from date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) residues—A critical review. Arabian Journal of Geosciences 16(2): 101.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref7">
                        <label>7</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Chakraborty, S., Rakshit, S., Husna, A., Kundu, P., Nayak, A., Majumdar, S., 2025. Agricultural waste: A new leap toward encouraging global economy. In: Innovative Technologies for Waste Management. Rajpoot, S., Das, A.P. (Eds.), Sustainable Environmental Waste Management Strategies. Springer, Cham, pp. 289–317.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref8">
                        <label>8</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Dhar, S.A., Sakib, T.U., Hilary, L.N., 2022. Effects of pyrolysis temperature on biochar derived from coconut fiber. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery 12(7): 2631–2647.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref9">
                        <label>9</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Enders, A., Lehmann, J., 2017. Proximate analyses for characterizing biochars. In: Biochar: A Guide to Analytical Methods. Singh, B., Camps-Arbestain, M., Lehmann, J. (Eds.). CSIRO Publishing, pp. 9–22.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref10">
                        <label>10</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Faiad, A., Alsmari, M., Ahmed, M.M.Z., Bouazizi, M.L., Alzahrani, B., Alrobei, H., 2022. Date palm tree waste recycling: Treatment and processing for potential engineering applications. Sustainability 14(3): 1134.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref11">
                        <label>11</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Graber, E.R., Singh, B., Hanley, K., Lehmann, J., 2017. Determination of cation exchange capacity in biochar. In: Biochar: A Guide to Analytical Methods. Singh, B., Camps-Arbestain, M., Lehmann, J. (Eds.). CSIRO Publishing, pp. 74–84.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref12">
                        <label>12</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Günal, H., Bayram, Ö., Günal, E., Erdem, H., 2019. Characterization of soil amendment potential of 18 different biochar types produced by slow pyrolysis. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science 8(4): 329 - 339.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref13">
                        <label>13</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Ippolito, J.A., Spokas, K.A., Novak, J.M., Lentz, R.D., Cantrell, K.B., 2015. Biochar elemental composition and factors influencing nutrient retention. In: Biochar for Environmental Management: Science, Technology and Implementation. Lehmann, J., Joseph, S. (Eds.), 2nd Edition. Routledge, London, pp. 139–163.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref14">
                        <label>14</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Kavvadias, V., Le Guyader, E., El Mazlouzi, M., Gommeaux, M., Boumaraf, B., Moussa, M., Lamine, H., Sbih, M., Zoghlami, I. R., Guimeur, K., Tirichine, A., Adelfettah, A., Marin, B., Morvan, X., 2024. Using date palm residues to improve soil properties. Soil Systems 8(3): 69.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref15">
                        <label>15</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Keiluweit, M., Nico, P.S., Johnson, M.G., Kleber, M., 2010. Dynamic molecular structure of plant biomass-derived black carbon (biochar). Environmental Science &amp; Technology 44(4): 1247–1253.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref16">
                        <label>16</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Khalil, M.H., Jassim, R.L., 2024. Geographical distribution of date palm cultivation and date production in Iraq and Iraq&#039;s international position 2010-2020 analytical study. Kufa Studies Center Journal 1(75): 383–402.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref17">
                        <label>17</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Khan, M. N., Sial, T. A., Ali, A., Wahid, F., 2024. Impact of agricultural wastes on environment and possible management strategies. In: Frontier Studies in Soil Science. Núñez-Delgado, A. (Ed.), Springer, Cham, pp. 79–108.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref18">
                        <label>18</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Lehmann, J., Joseph, S., 2015. Biochar for Environmental Management: Science, Technology and Implementation. 2nd edition. Routledge, London. 976p.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref19">
                        <label>19</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Mahdi, Z., Hanandeh, A., Yu, Q., 2015. Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Seed Characterization for Biochar Preparation. Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Engineering, Project, and Production Management - EPPM 2015. September 2-4, 2015, Gold Coast, Australia.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref20">
                        <label>20</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Mihoub, A., Mesnoua, M., Touzout, N., Zeguerrou, R., Siabdallah, N., Benchikh, C., Benaoune, A., Jamal, A., Ronga, D., Černý, J., 2024. Mitigation of detrimental effects of salinity on sweet pepper through biochar-based fertilizers derived from date palm wastes. Phyton 93(11): 2993–3011.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref21">
                        <label>21</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Nzediegwu, C., Naeth, M.A., Chang, S.X., 2021. Elemental composition of biochars is affected by methods used for its determination. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis 156: 105174.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref22">
                        <label>22</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Rahmat, A., 2021. Chemical properties of biochar from date palm seed (Phoenix dactylifera L.) under low temperature pyrolysis as soil amendment candidate. Applied Research in Science and Technology 1(2): 116–120.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref23">
                        <label>23</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Remmani, R., Yılmaz, M., Benaoune, S., Di Palma, L., 2024. Optimized pyrolytic synthesis and physicochemical characterization of date palm seed biochar: unveiling a sustainable adsorbent for environmental remediation applications. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 31: 60065–60079.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref24">
                        <label>24</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Santos, L.D.M., Ferreira Ribeiro, C.D., Alves, J.D.C., da Silva, I.S.A., Silva, V.D.L., Santos, I.P.P., Roselino, M.N., 2024. Multidimensional strategies for sustainable management of cocoa by-products. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 8: 1460720.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref25">
                        <label>25</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Sathyabama, K., Firdous, S., 2025. Effect of pyrolysis temperature on the physicochemical properties and structural characteristics of agricultural wastes-derived biochar. ACS Omega 10 (33): 37013–37024.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref26">
                        <label>26</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Saxena, V., 2025. Water quality, air pollution, and climate change: Investigating the environmental impacts of industrialization and urbanization. Water Air and Soil Pollution 236: 73.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref27">
                        <label>27</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Sharma, G., Banik, D., Mehta, C.M., Nishihara, E., Inubushi, K., Sudo, S., Hayashida, S., Patra, P.K., Minkina, T., Rajput, V.D., 2025. A comparative study of fresh and residual biochar effects on wheat growth and yield metrics. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science 14(2): 168-177.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref28">
                        <label>28</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Shyam, S., Ahmed, S., Joshi, S.J., Sarma, H., 2025. Biochar as a Soil amendment: implications for soil health, carbon sequestration, and climate resilience. Discover Soil 2: 18.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref29">
                        <label>29</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Silva, S.D., Mafra, A.K., Pelissari, F.M., de Lemos, L.R., Molina, G., 2025. Biotechnology in agro-industry: Valorization of agricultural wastes, by-products and sustainable practices. Microorganisms 13(8): 1789.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref30">
                        <label>30</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Singh, B., Dolk, M.M., Shen, Q., Camps-Arbestain, M., 2017. Biochar pH, EC and liming potential. In: Biochar: A Guide to Analytical Methods. Singh, B., Camps-Arbestain, M., Lehmann, J. (Eds.). CSIRO Publishing, pp. 23–38.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref31">
                        <label>31</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Singh, B., Raven, M.D., 2017. X-ray diffraction analysis of biochar. In: Biochar: A Guide to Analytical Methods. Singh, B., Camps-Arbestain, M., Lehmann, J. (Eds.). CSIRO Publishing, pp. 245–252.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref32">
                        <label>32</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Subhash, A.J., Bamigbade, G.B., Ayyash, M., 2024. Current insights into date by-product valorization for sustainable food industries and technology. Sustainable Food Technology 2(2): 331–361.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref33">
                        <label>33</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Taha Abd, N., Shafeeq, A., Al-Obeidi, N.A.S., Mohammed, M., 2025. Biological constraints in the establishment and development of date palm orchards in Iraq. Kirkuk University Journal of Agricultural Sciences 16(2): 154–162.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref34">
                        <label>34</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Tahir, A.H.F., Al-Ani, F.H., Al Obaidy, A.M.J., 2022. Effect of date palm derived biochar on soil’s bulk density, pH, and nitrogen content. Engineering and Technology Journal 40(11): 1358–1364.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref35">
                        <label>35</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Tomczyk, A., Sokołowska, Z., Boguta, P., 2020. Biochar physicochemical properties: pyrolysis temperature and feedstock kind effects. Reviews in Environmental Scienceand  Bio/Technology 19:191–215.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                                    <ref id="ref36">
                        <label>36</label>
                        <mixed-citation publication-type="journal">Ţucureanu, V., Matei, A., Avram, A.M., 2016. FTIR spectroscopy for carbon family study. Critical Reviews in Analytical Chemistry 46(6): 502–520.</mixed-citation>
                    </ref>
                            </ref-list>
                    </back>
    </article>
