Active Learning-Based Guided Synthesis of Engineered Biochar for CO₂ Capture

Abstract

Biomass waste-derived engineered biochar for CO₂ capture presents a viable route for climate change mitigation and sustainable waste management. However, optimally synthesizing them for enhanced performance is time- and labor-intensive. To address these issues, we devise an active learning strategy to guide and expedite their synthesis with improved CO₂ adsorption capacities. Our framework learns from experimental data and recommends optimal synthesis parameters, aiming to maximize the narrow micropore volume of engineered biochar, which exhibits a linear correlation with its CO₂ adsorption capacity. We experimentally validate the active learning predictions, and these data are iteratively leveraged for subsequent model training and revalidation, thereby establishing a closed loop. Over three active learning cycles, we synthesized 16 property-specific engineered biochar samples such that the CO₂ uptake nearly doubled by the final round. We demonstrate a data-driven workflow to accelerate the development of high-performance engineered biochar with enhanced CO₂ uptake and broader applications as a functional material.