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a highly porous form of charcoal, or char, that can potentially be used as a valuable soil additive. The two forms that can be converted are polystyrene, which is used in styrofoam packing and PET which is commonly used to make water bottles. The highly-porous biochar formed from the new process could potentially be added to soil to improve its water retention capability or to aerate farmlands. It can also fertilise the soil as it breaks down naturally. The process begins with the mixing of the two common types of plastic with corn stover, a collective name given to corn waste that includes leaves, husks and cobs of corn. After this, the mixture is treated with highly compressed hot water in a process called hydrothermal carbonisation.