Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have announced the development of a new method, which can be used to identify new solvents that can aid industrial carbon capture. This method involves artificial intelligence and the solvents that are being discovered are all environmentally friendly.

This innovative process is performed through targeting a class of solvents, which are known for being nontoxic, biodegradable, highly stable, cost-effective and finally, reusable.

The method that is being used was developed by scientists and it operates through predicting solvent viscosity, which is a key property that impacts performance for industrial applications. So far, to make this all possible, the scientists have gathered almost five-thousand data points on six-hundred-and-seventy-two solvents. The information they have acquired, includes an evaluation of quantum chemical features which guide solvent molecular interactions. After completing this research, the scientists deployed an algorithm called categorical boosting to rapidly parse the data and then draw a conclusion on which ones would be the best candidates.

ORNL’s, Mohan Mood, commented, “We reduced computational time and complexity with our approach, while still incorporating all possible molecular interactions.”