Biomass-Based Nanoengineered Cooling Geotextile for Permafrost Thawing Prevention

Permafrost thawing is a critical climate tipping point, with catastrophic consequences. Existing stabilization methods rely on refrigerant-based systems, such as thermosyphons and active refrigeration, which are capital-intensive, energy-demanding, or increasingly ineffective in warming climates. Most infrastructure built on permafrost requires continuous heat removal from the foundation as the underlying permafrost becomes progressively unstable. To address these challenges, we demonstrate a fully biomass-derived cooling geotextile that can effectively mitigate permafrost thawing through scalable nanoprocessing via a roll-to-roll fabrication (1.3 m·min^-1). The cooling geotextile features a hierarchical three-layer design: a strong woven biomass scaffold, a permeable nonwoven fiber network, and an optimized porous coating layer with micro- and nano-structures. When anchored to bare ground, it extracts heat to the cold sky, enhances albedo from ∼30% to 96.3%, and establishes a thermal barrier between soil and air. Engineered for Arctic durability, it withstands strong winds, extreme cold, and freeze-thaw cycles, exceeding the American National Engineering Handbook requirements (tensile strength 1,682 kg; tear strength 191 kg; puncture strength 61 kg). Field tests in West Lafayette, IN (40°25'21″N, 86°55'12″W) reveal up to 25 °C soil cooling under 500 W·m^-2 irradiance. Its lightweight (0.8 kg·m^-2) and rollable attributes enable scalable and fast localized deployment. Simulations predict up to 12 °C surface cooling during Arctic summer (2020-2050), preventing up to 40,000 km² of permafrost from thawing. Completely derived from biomass, cooling geotextile ensures a low carbon footprint (0.7 kg·m^-2), positioning itself as a sustainable solution for reinforcing Arctic coastline, reconstructing thawing landscape, and restoring the environment.