1 D13 Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction EngineeringNEJC HODNIK Advanced Materials in Circular Economy Advanced Materials as the Principal Key Enabling Technology for Energy- and Resource-efficient Processes within the Emerging Circular Economy D13 Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering Dr. Nejc Hodnik
2 Strategies towards sustainable future: NEJC HODNIK Advanced Materials in Circular Economy On one side our development and life quality is dependent on raw materials resources and economics, however on the other side it is limited by pollution and negative climate changes. Strategies towards sustainable future: EU's transition to a circular economy no supply risk! EU's transition to a low-carbon economy clean and renewable energy!
3 -> to lower atmospheric pollution levels in big citiesProblem! Global Worming! We must slow down global worming (below 2 °C) -> rise of greenhouse gas CO2, that mostly comes from burning of fissile fuels (coil, oil and gas). Annual mean ambient PM2.5 (µg/m3); swathes of the world are coloured yellow ( ), orange ( ), red ( ) and purple (70 or more), meaning air quality breaches WHO limits. Fine particles primarily come from car, truck, bus and off-road vehicle (e.g., construction equipment, snowmobile, locomotive) exhausts, other operations that involve the burning of fuels such as wood, heating oil or coal and natural sources such as forest and grass fires. „KEELing curve“ Pollution -> to lower atmospheric pollution levels in big cities Beijing PM µg/m3 Max 25 µg/m3 https://scripps.ucsd.edu/programs/keelingcurve/ -2016 was the warmest in history -16 out of 17 warmest years were after 2001
4 NEJC HODNIK Advanced Materials in Circular Economy What we can do? As scientists we can find new or more efficient ways for everyday tasks to be (more) sustainable. To lower the dependance from fossile fuels Like turning CO2 to chemicals or biomass to fuel Utilize intermittent energy sources like sun and wind (renewable sources) Current Grand Challenges: to store energy & catalytic conversion processes The fluctuating Germany energy production from wind and solar including (mismatched) power demand in the last week. Conventional Power Generation https://www.agora-energiewende.de/en/topics/-agothem-/Produkt/produkt/76/Agorameter/
5 What we can do? Example from history: Haber–Bosch process (1910):NEJC HODNIK Advanced Materials in Circular Economy What we can do? Example from history: Haber–Bosch process (1910): is an artificial nitrogen fixation process and is the main industrial procedure for the production of ammonia today The process converts atmospheric nitrogen (N2) to ammonia (NH3) by a reaction with hydrogen (H2) using a metal catalyst under high temperatures and pressures Before the Haber process, ammonia had been difficult to produce on an industrial scale; Grand Challenge. Fritz Haber Nobel Prize https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haber_process Although the Haber process is mainly used to produce fertilizer today, during World War I it provided Germany with a source of ammonia for the production of explosives. https://chemstuff.co.uk/academic-work/a-level/the-haber-process/
6 What we can do? Example from history: Bergius process (1913):NEJC HODNIK Advanced Materials in Circular Economy What we can do? Example from history: Bergius process (1913): is a method of production of liquid synthetic fuel by catalytic hydrogenation of high-volatile bituminous coal at high temperature and pressure. Before the Bergius process, liquid fuel like diesel oil or petrolium was difficult to get, especially in Germany; Grand Challenge. Fredrich Bergius Nobel Prize https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haber_process Carl Bosch Nobel Prize The Fischer–Tropsch process (1925) is a collection of chemical reactions that converts a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) into liquid hydrocarbons - fuel. https://chemstuff.co.uk/academic-work/a-level/the-haber-process/
7 Common for all conversion processes -> catalysisNEJC HODNIK Advanced Materials in Circular Economy CO2 cycle Energy https://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photos-nitrogen-cycle-image Fertilizer -> food Common for all conversion processes -> catalysis -90-95% of all industrial chemical processes
8 Current Grand Challenges: to store energy & better catalytic processesNEJC HODNIK Advanced Materials in Circular Economy What we can do? Hydrogen cycle at home: self sustained hydrogen home Current Grand Challenges: to store energy & better catalytic processes
9 NEJC HODNIK Advanced Materials in Circular Economy What we can do? Topics: batteries, catalysis, hydrogen, CO2, methane, biomass, adsorbers, absorbers, pharmaceutical process engineering, … Projects: currently participating in >20 H2020 projects and ERA-NETs, COSTs, NATOs, Bilateral scientific projects, etc., in addition to National funding Recent Articles (IF>10): Science, Nature Materials, Angewandte Chemie, Accounts of Chemical Research, Nature Communications, Advanced Energy Materials, Advanced Functional Materials , JACS, PNAS, ... Patents: catalysts (US, WO, 2 x Patent appl.), coatings: 2 sold to Alanod SOLAR, etc. Industry collaboration: Helios, HONDA, Lek, Krka, Julon, Hella, ALSTOM POWER, Silkem, BRIGHTSOURCE INDUSTRIES, etc. Academic international collaborations: Argonne National Lab (USA), Max-Planck Institute, Helmholtz Institute, Fraunhofer Institute, University of California San Diego, CNRS, etc. Equipment&infrastructure: state-of-the-art electron microscopes (SEM, HR(S)TEM, AFM), new modern building, NMR center, spectroscopies (IR, Raman, UV-Vis), synthetic methods, etc. Approach: »multi-scale« & »inter-disciplinary«
10 What we can do? Topic 1: batteries (energy storage)NEJC HODNIK Advanced Materials in Circular Economy What we can do? Topic 1: batteries (energy storage) Topic 2: adsorbers (energy storage) Topic 3: catalysis (energy conversion) Topic 4: recycling of PGM
11 What we can do? Topic 1: batteries (energy storage)NEJC HODNIK Advanced Materials in Circular Economy What we can do? Topic 1: batteries (energy storage) Li-ion, Li-sulphur, Mg-ioni, Na-ion, ... Visualization of O-O peroxo-like dimers in high-capacity layered oxides for Li-ion batteries McCalla et al., Science 2015, 350, The quest for better rechargeable batteries means finding ways to pack more energy into a smaller mass or volume. Lithium layered oxides are a promising class of materials that could double storage capacities. However, the design of safe and long-lasting batteries requires an understanding of the physical and chemical changes that occur during redox processes. McCalla et al. used a combination of experiments and calculations to understand the formation of O-O dimers, which are key to improving the properties of these cathode materials.
12 What we can do? Topic 2: adsorbers (energy storage)NEJC HODNIK Advanced Materials in Circular Economy What we can do? Topic 2: adsorbers (energy storage) Zeolites, Meso-structured silicas, metal-organic framework materials (MOFs) Superior Performance of Microporous Aluminophosphate with LTA Topology in Solar-Energy Storage and Heat Reallocation Krajnc et al., Advanced Energy Materials, 2017, development of inorganic and metal-organic framework materials for their use in hydrogen storage, CO2 capture and storage and heat storage applications (e.g. seasonal storage of solar thermal energy or waste heat storage) Here, solar energy is used to dry (expel water from) the hydrophilic porous material. The 'excited' dried material can be stored for a very long time without thermal losses. When at a later stage water vapour is let into this porous material in a controllable manner, adsorption of water molecules into the pores releases the stored energy in the form of sensible heat.
13 What we can do? Topic 3: heterogeneous catalysis (CO2 activation)NEJC HODNIK Advanced Materials in Circular Economy What we can do? Topic 3: heterogeneous catalysis (CO2 activation) carbon capture and utilisation (CCU): hydrogenation, alkylation, hydro-formylation, polymerisation, carbonates… MefCO2 (Horizon 2020) FReSMe (Horizon 2020) ADREM (Horizon 2020) (methanol from thermal power stations) (methanol from steel industry as fuel) (chemical reactor design)
14 What we can do? Topic 3: electro-catalysts (energy conversion)NEJC HODNIK Advanced Materials in Circular Economy What we can do? Topic 3: electro-catalysts (energy conversion) Positive Effect of Surface Doping with Au on the Stability of Pt-Based Electrocatalysts Gatalo et al., ACS Catalysis, 2016, 6, 1630–1634. - US Patent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cell
15 What we can do? Topic 4: recycling of PGMNEJC HODNIK Advanced Materials in Circular Economy What we can do? Topic 4: recycling of PGM Platinum recycling going green via induced surface potential alteration enabling fast and efficient dissolution Hodnik et al., Nature Communications, 2016, 7, - DE Patent App. Nu Yellow - [PtCl6]2- catalysts are usually PGM
16 NEJC HODNIK Advanced Materials in Circular Economy Platinum! For EU urban mining is the obvious way to minimalize import dependence from foreign countries. Source: https://smaulgld.com/platinum-supply-and-demand,
17 Critical Raw Materials - CRMsEU makes a list of materials that are of supply risk to our well-being CRMs demand is increasing – High tech equipment like cell phones contain CRMs (also PGM) Solution – Recycle and not export to third world countries (environment and health problems) Circular & Hydrogen Economy! Critical Raw Materials for the EU 2014
18 Thank you for your attention!“Besides improving the technology we should also try to adapt human habits.”
19 Automotive Catalytic ConvertersNEJC HODNIK Advanced Materials in Circular Economy Platinum! Platinum Net Demand By Application 2014 Total 184 tons net Automotive Catalytic Converters -Now 3-15 g of Pt Fuel Cell Cars -Future Platinum Demand By Application 30-40 g of Pt Proven resources: 30,000 tons respectively. Annual production: 200 tons respectively. Reserves: in the range of 100 years. Mining Ores -not in EU Source: https://smaulgld.com/platinum-supply-and-demand,