Soya bean seed (Glysin maze), Baggas fibers (Sacharum officinarum) and Semer Cotton (Bombax ceiba) on pyrolysis give carbon nanomaterials, which are tested for their application as anode in lithium ion batteries. Taguchi optimization technique is used to find the best natural precursor, best temperature of the pyrolysis and the effect of pretreatment of acid and alkali to find the best carbon for the electrochemical intercalation of lithium. It was found that Baggas is the best precursor over the three precursors and pretreatment with acid and pyrolysis at 700 degrees C in an inert atmosphere of hydrogen favors the formation of carbon with best lithium intercalation properties. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.