IIT Madras Using AI Models To Make Biomass Denser, Fuel Production Better
They made use of AI tools not just for biomass-biofuel conversion studies but also for socially relevant and environmentally beneficial processes like carbon capture and electrification of the chemical industry.
IIT Madras researchers are harnessing the power of AI (Artificial Intelligence) to study the processes involved in the conversion of biomass to gaseous fuel to create more energy-dense fuel, according to an IANS report.
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To the unaware, with several environmental concerns surrounding petroleum-derived fuels, biomass seems like a clear winner as a source of energy-dense fuel.
There exist several models being developed across the globe to understand the conversion of biomass into fuels and chemicals, most of the models would take a long time to become operational. AI tools such as machine learning could help in speeding up this modelling process.
Dr Himanshu Goyal, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Madras said in a statement, ¡°There is an urgent need to train the next generation of engineers on high-performance computing and machine learning skills so that they can address some of the biggest challenges before us, such as developing zero-emission technologies to tackle climate change. This work is one such example.¡±
IIT Madras researchers make use of RNN (Recurrent Neural Networks) to study the reactions that occur during the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into energy-dense syngas (turning biomass into gas).
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Dr Niket S Kaisare, Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Madras added, ¡°The novelty of our ML approach is that it is able to predict the composition of the biofuel produced as a function of the time the biomass spends in the reactor. We used a statistical reactor for accurate data generation, which allows the model to be applied over a wide range of operating conditions.¡±
They made use of AI tools not just for biomass-biofuel conversion studies but also for socially relevant and environmentally beneficial processes like carbon capture and electrification of the chemical industry.
Extracting fuel from biomass is relevant in India as India sees over 750 million metric tons of biomass each year and this could help our nation achieve fuel self-sufficiency.
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