CHEM 3578 Energy for A Sustainable Future
Course Description
Energy is an integral part of the future of mankind. By 2050 it is estimated that 9 billion people will be housed on planet earth…9 billion people to feed, clothe and provide facilities such as education, work, housing, health care and others. Each and every human activity requires energy and how energy is used in the modern world goes beyond the simple process of growing and eating food crops. As the energy demand grows human innovation and creative design of new systems based on chemically sound technologies will become increasingly necessary. This course will take you from the layman’s perspective on energy to the current status of the energy industry and then into the technologies being proposed for a sustainable future.
This course is truly an applied chemistry module and will be underpinned by your previous learning of fundamental chemical principles and as such more emphasis will be placed on the chemistry involved in specific applications as opposed to an overview of knowledge garnered in earlier courses. The course approach is an integrated one where the student has the opportunity to utilise the material presented in lectures in real-life applications, thereby gaining a deeper understanding of the topic in the wider sense, i.e. beyond the chemistry taught in the classroom. The fundamentals of, as well as advances in, biomass (alternative bio-renewable energy), traditional renewable energy and the hydrogen economy will be presented through examples of the best-in-class proven and emerging technologies for each area. This will be positioned in the context of fossil and nuclear fuels currently used for the energy and chemicals industry.
