Climate Exp0 & Public Climate School Lectures - Fire (H2) and Ice (CO2)

Lecture by Prof. Dr. Walter Leitner - "Fire and Ice:Hydrogen and Carbondioxide as raw materials of the future "

 

As part of the Public Climate School, Prof. Walter Leitner (ITMC RWTH Aachen University and Director of Molecular Catalysis, CEC MPI Mülheim) will give a talk on the potential of hydrogen and CO₂ as raw materials of the future. The talk will take place on Thursday, May 20 at 4pm via the Zoom video communication platform. You can participate here.

Global progress in technologies to use renewable energy sources for power generation ("decarbonization") also opens up the possibility of avoiding fossil raw materials in the production of fuels and chemical products ("defossilization").[1,2] Hydrogen (H₂), obtained by electrolysis of water, is a molecular link between renewable energies and material products. Through catalytic conversion with carbon dioxide (CO₂), the energy-rich hydrogen can be used to produce important products of modern life that otherwise rely on fossil fuels, particularly petroleum. Such "power-to-X" technologies simultaneously offer the opportunity to improve both the environmental compatibility and the functionality of the products.[3] The presentation discusses challenges and opportunities of this concept as a contribution to climate protection using concrete examples of power-to-X technologies and highlights current research issues.

International meeting in preparation for the UN Climate Change Conference

Six months before the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) starts in Glasgow, Climate Exp0 aims to bring together and present the latest thinking and most relevant research so that policy makers, academics, students, and members of the public can come together, collaborate, share, and discuss climate change science and policies.

In this regard, Climate Exp0 should be seen as preparation for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). The virtual conference lasts five days, is free and open to all. Each day of the conference has its own thematic focus.

On Wednesday, May 19, when Prof. Walter Leitner will also participate in the conference, participants will focus on the topic of mitigation solutions. The "Mitigation Solutions"-day will explore how technological innovations are creating a wealth of opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions quickly, affordably and effectively.

Prof. Leitner will be a speaker in the session 'Carbon dioxide utilisation: Policy insights from the cutting edge', chaired by Katy Armstrong (University of Sheffield and CO2 Chem). Together with Peter Styring (University of Sheffield), Andrea Ramirez (TU Delft) and Colin Hills (University of Greenwich), Walter Leitner will discuss results from a Royal Society of Chemistry event.
In April 2021, the RSC hosted a 3-day symposium on Carbon Dioxide Utilization (CDU) that featured international speakers and top researchers.
This session will summarize the results of this event and highlight key conclusions relevant to a policy and multidisciplinary scientific audience.

Prof. Leitner will focus in particular on the petrochemical value chain, taking a global perspective. Leitner will focus on the challenges and opportunities of Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) and Power-2-X technologies and would like to clarify to what extent the de-carbonization of the power sector enables the de-fossilization of the other sectors.

Sources:

[1]: Kopernikus-Projects

[2]: Fuel Science Center (FSC)

[3]: Designing for a green chemistry future, J. B. Zimmerman, P. T. Anastas, H. Erythropel, W. Leitner, Science 2020, 367, 397-400.