Steven C. Peterson has been a Research Chemist at NCAUR, USDA-ARS, Peoria, IL since 2002. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Illinois State University and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is a Lead Scientist of a team conducting research on biobased materials and specializes in using biochar as filler material for rubber composites to replace carbon black, a byproduct of fossil fuels. Biochar is a renewable form of solid carbon that can be produced from any carbon-containing biomass by heating it in an oxygen-free atmosphere (pyrolysis). In his research, he evaluates and characterizes various feedstocks for biochar production and studies other methods to modify biochar in order to enhance its potential as a sustainable filler.