Descripción del proyecto
Nueva información sobre la energía solar
La producción de energía solar nos ayuda a reducir nuestra dependencia de los combustibles fósiles y a mitigar así el calentamiento global disminuyendo la emisión de gases de efecto invernadero. El proyecto CONDOR, financiado con fondos europeos, aborda ambos retos. Desarrollará un dispositivo modular para la producción de combustibles usando agua y CO2 como materia prima y luz solar como la única fuente de energía. El enfoque modular propuesto permitirá distintas configuraciones en función del producto diana. El proceso de oxidación no se limita a la producción de O2, sino que implica clorina y moléculas orgánicas pequeñas, como el ácido 2,5-furandicarboxílico. Los materiales utilizados se obtendrán de elementos químicos abundantes en la Tierra a través de rutas de baja temperatura/baja energía.
Objetivo
Conversion of sunlight into fuels and mitigation of anthropogenic climate change are big scientific challenges. CONDOR addresses both of them by developing highly efficient solar-driven conversion of CO2 into fuels and added-value chemicals. We propose a photosynthetic device made of two compartments (a) a photoelectrochemical cell that splits water and CO2 and generates oxygen and syngas, a mixture of H2 and CO; (b) a (photo)reactor that converts syngas into methanol and dimethylether (DME), via bi-functional heterogeneous catalysts. The proposed modular approach enables different configurations depending on the target product. The oxidation process is not limited to O2 production, but entails chlorine and small organic molecules, such as 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, derived from the oxidation of low-cost and easily available precursors like salt water or alcohol derived biomass, respectively. Employed materials will be obtained through low energy/low temperature routes, mainly based on wet chemical procedures, such as sol-gel chemistry, mild hydrothermal processes, electrochemical processes at ambient temperature. Raw materials/precursors will not be limited by availability on a global scale, making use of organic species, silicon, earth abundant metal oxides, first row transition metals. The final target is a full photosynthetic device with 8% solar-to-syngas and 6% solar-to-DME efficiencies with three-months continuous outdoor operation. This represents a large progress with respect to the state of the art and requires an international collaboration and a multidisciplinary approach, which integrates expertise in nanomaterials preparation and characterisation by operando microscopy and spectroscopy, homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, photochemistry/photoelectrochemistry, PEC engineering and assessment of the environmental and socio-economic impact of the proposed technology, including life cycle assessment.
Ámbito científico
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energy
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryinorganic compounds
- natural scienceschemical scienceselectrochemistryelectrolysis
- natural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryalcohols
- engineering and technologynanotechnologynano-materials
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Convocatoria de propuestas
Consulte otros proyectos de esta convocatoriaConvocatoria de subcontratación
H2020-LC-SC3-2020-RES-RIA
Régimen de financiación
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinador
40126 Bologna
Italia