Chemistry is everywhere

Our present prosperity and welfare are a tribute to chemistry and applied chemical technology. For example, the invention of a proces for making ammonia by Fritz Haber in 1908 enabled the production of fertilizers and alleviated the famine in the 1920s. Fuels, fertilizers, and pharmaceuticals, and household appliances all result from transforming fossil resources into chemical products.

These achievements have a backside, which is the impact on our climate. Average temperatures have gone up since the 1950s, and this trend is increasing exponentially since the industrial revolution. The CO2 level has been going up and is higher now than it ever was in the last 100.000 years. To mitigate climate change, CO2 emissions need to be reduced.

The biggest challenge for a sustainable energy future is energy storage, for which batteries are the obvious choice. Technologies exist, but the energy density is of batteries is very low compared to fuels. Which is why you need 500 kg of batteries to drive 500 kilometers. New battery chemistry is needed for significantly increasing energy density.

The other challenge is the need for sustainable fuels. The pillars of our society, cement, steel, fertilizers and petrochemicals, cannot be produced directly by electrification. Sustainable fuels will be needed. Technology for production of these e-fuels exists, with energy supplied by wins, solar or hydrothermal sources. These processes are carried out at low temperatures and pressures, compared to conventional technologies. but the efficiency is extremely low. New types of catalysts are needed. 

FACT conducts chemistry courses that focus on the fundamental understanding of the characteristics of atoms, molecules and chemical bonds. Main challenges on the road to climate goals set for 2050 and beyond can only be achieved by applied chemical technology. The chemistry of e-fuel production is all about supplying sufficient energy to break existing bonds, form new bonds and using effective catalysts to lower activation energy, shield interfering elements and make active sites available. Photosynthesis provides guidance here.

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