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Chemistry and Sustainable Energy in the Curriculum
Nancy Carpenter – Professor of Chemistry U of MN, Morris
Chemistry and sustainability?!! “If the education the students receive involves
learning about the distinct environmental issues
facing our world,
,
they will become leaders of a generation that turns
the tide toward a sustainable future”
UMACS philosophy
ACS Sustainability Initiative
“Chemistry must play a major role in finding sustainable solutions to far-reaching societal challenges such as providing sufficient energy, protecting the environment, assuring the availability of safe food and water for all people, and improving global healthcare.”
American Chemical Society
http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_SUPERARTICLE&node_id=542&use_ sec=false&sec_url_var=region1&__uuid=b693dd78-2520-4eb6-a1ab-91ab7583d4bf. Accessed
Solar photovoltaics: > 600 research articles Biomass gasification: > 6000 Fuel cells: > 13,000 !
Book & Journal Titles (2010-2011) • Energy & Fuels • Environmental Science & Technology • Sustainable Production of Fuels, Chemicals and Fibers from Forest
Biomass • Renewable and Sustainable Polymers • Sustainability of the Sugar and Sugar-Ethanol Industries • Computational Modeling in Lignocellulosic Biofuel Production • Advances in CO2 Conversion and Utilization
Hot problems in chemistry!
Who am I? An environmentalist?
A chemist
• Pennzoil
• Alberto-Culver
• Claire Manufacturing
• Researcher @ UMM
An educator
Traditional à interdisciplinary “the central science”
Organic chemistry laboratory • Scale • Green • Renewable
ItR, Macromolecules, General Chemistry Lab
Who are we?
• To review and expand one’s fundamental understanding of the chemical principles behind current problems in alternative energy
• To be able to read and understand timely primary literature (published research) on progress in alternative energy research
• To be able to write and speak accurately and intelligibly about progress in the chemistry-related fields of sustainable energy research
The course The Chemistry of Sustainable Energy
• Energy intro: sources, types, units (geochemistry)
• The carbon cycle!
• Thermodynamics
• Fossil fuels & electricity
• Wind energy (polymer chemistry)
• Fuel cells (catalysis, polymer chemistry, inorganic chemistry)
The topics The Chemistry of Sustainable Energy
• Hydrogen
• Biomass
• Thermal processes: gasification, combustion, pyrolysis
• Bio/chemical processes: fermentation, biodiesel, anaerobic digestion
• Solar photovoltaics (inorganic and polymer chemistry)
• Nuclear energy
Topics, continued The Chemistry of Sustainable Energy
• Anaerobic digestion: Riverview Dairy – methane digester (Morris)
• Biomass fermentation: Chippewa Valley Ethanol Cooperative (Benson) or DENCO (Morris)
• Solar: RFC & Solar Skies (Starbuck; solar thermal); UMM or Morris Wetlands office (solar photovoltaic)
• Fossil fuels/electricity generation: Otter Tail Big Stone Power (Big Stone, SD)
• Biomass gasification: UMM Biomass Gasification
Field trips The Chemistry of Sustainable Energy
• Fuel cell demonstration
• Solar cell construction
• Synthesis and testing of biodiesel
[Lab activities] The Chemistry of Sustainable Energy
- First offering of course Fall 2010 – 16 students - Senior Chemistry Seminars
• From black to green: Coal gasification's transformation to becoming a cleaner energy source
• An Overview of Quantum Dot Solar Cells
• Rocks to Oil: The Chemistry of Synthetic Fuels
Outcomes & Conclusions
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