Predicting and refining acid modifications of biochar based on machine learning and bibliometric analysis: Specific surface area, average pore size, and total pore volume.

Journal: The Science of the total environment
Published Date:

Abstract

Acid-modified biochar is a modified biochar material with convenient preparation, high specific surface area, and rich pore structure. It has great potential for application in the heavy metal remediation, soil amendments, and carrying catalysts. Specific surface area (SSA), average pore size (APS), and total pore volume (TPV) are the key properties that determine its adsorption capacity, reactivity, and water holding capacity, and an intensive study of these properties is essential to optimize the performance of biochar. But the complex interactions among the preparation conditions obstruct finding the optimal modification strategy. This study collected dataset through bibliometric analysis and used four typical machine learning models to predict the SSA, APS, and TPV of acid-modified biochar. The results showed that the extreme gradient boosting (XGB) was optimal for the test results (SSA R = 0.92, APS R = 0.87, TPV R = 0.96). The model interpretation revealed that the modification conditions were the major factors affecting SSA and TPV, and the pyrolysis conditions were the major factors affecting APS. Based on the XGB model, the modification conditions of biochar were optimized, which revealed the ideal preparation conditions for producing the optimal biochar (SSA = 727.02 m/g, APS = 5.34 nm, TPV = 0.68 cm/g). Moreover, the biochar produced under specific conditions verified the generalization ability of the XGB model (R = 0.99, RMSE = 12.355). This study provides guidance for optimizing the preparation strategy of acid-modified biochar and promotes its potentiality for industrial application.

Authors

  • Fangzhou Zhao
    School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China.
  • Lingyi Tang
    Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada.
  • Wenjing Song
    Central Theater Center for Disease Control and Prevention of PLA, Beijing, China.
  • Hanfeng Jiang
    School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China.
  • Yiping Liu
    School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China.
  • Haoming Chen