Descrizione del progetto
Gettare nuova luce sull’energia solare
La produzione di energia solare aiuta a ridurre la nostra dipendenza dai combustibili fossili e dunque a mitigare il riscaldamento globale, riducendo le emissioni di gas a effetto serra. Il progetto CONDOR, finanziato dall’UE, affronta entrambe queste sfide sviluppando un dispositivo modulare per la produzione di combustibili che si avvale di acqua e anidride carbonica come materie prime, e della luce solare come unica fonte di energia. L’approccio modulare proposto permetterà di attuare diverse configurazioni sulla base del prodotto da sviluppare. Il processo di ossidazione non si limita alla produzione di ossigeno, ma si estende anche al cloro e a piccole molecole organiche, come l’acido 2,5-furandicarbossilico. I materiali utilizzati verranno ricavati da elementi chimici abbondanti sulla Terra, attraverso processi a bassa energia e a basse temperature.
Obiettivo
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.
Campo scientifico
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energy
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryinorganic compounds
- natural scienceschemical scienceselectrochemistryelectrolysis
- natural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryalcohols
- engineering and technologynanotechnologynano-materials
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Vedi altri progetti per questo bandoBando secondario
H2020-LC-SC3-2020-RES-RIA
Meccanismo di finanziamento
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinatore
40126 Bologna
Italia