In this article we report the synthesis of a carbon powder with embedded magnetic nanoparticles. Precursors, ferrocene and ethylene glycol, were loaded in a quartz combustion tube and pyrolysed by microwave plasma under vacuum conditions. The synthesized powder was similar to graphite in texture, but strongly attracted by magnetic fields. Several analytical techniques were carried out, including X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Transmission and Scanning Electron microscopies, X-ray Diffraction and BET isotherm. The resulting material is a ramified framework of carbon, similar to activated carbon, with embedded Fe3C/C core-shell nanoparticles. BET analysis gives a type IV isotherm, common for mesoporous adsorbents. A protocol was developed for the purification of nucleic acids by magnetic separation. The material gives satisfactory results for DNA extraction. It is concluded that due to the non-toxicity nature of the C shells and the outstanding magnetic property of the Fe3C nanoparticles this absorptive carbonaceous material can be applied in fields of biomedicine or biotechnology. (C) 2018 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.