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

Ted Pappenfus, UMM Chemistry National Science Foundation CCLI Heather James, UMM Briggs Library UMACS Organizers

Acknowledgments