The consumption of renewable energy should increase by 300% by 2050 compared to 2010 due to the rising demand for green electricity, stringent government mandates on low-carbon fuels, and competitive biofuel production costs, thus calling for advanced methods of energy production. Here we review the use of activated carbon, a highly porous graphitic form of carbon, as catalyst and electrode for for energy production and storage. The article focuses on synthesis of activated carbon, hydrogen production and storage, biodiesel production, energy recovery, and the use of machine learning. The textural properties and surface chemistry of activated carbon can be engineered using acid and base treatments, hetero-atom doping, and optimization of the activation conditions to improve the efficiency of renewable energy production and storage. Machine learning allows to optimize the synthesis of catalysts, electrodes and bioproducts, with benefits to the biorefinery industries.

由于对绿色电力的需求不断增长、政府对低碳燃料的严格要求以及具有竞争力的生物燃料生产成本，到2050年可再生能源的消耗量将比2010年增加300%，因此需要先进的能源生产方法。在这里，我们回顾了活性炭（一种高度多孔石墨形式的碳）作为能源生产和储存的催化剂和电极的用途。本文重点讨论活性炭的合成、氢气的生产和储存、生物柴油的生产、能量回收以及机器学习的使用。活性炭的结构特性和表面化学可以通过酸碱处理、杂原子掺杂和活化条件优化来设计，以提高可再生能源生产和储存的效率。机器学习可以优化催化剂、电极和生物产品的合成，为生物炼制行业带来好处。