Guest Seminar by Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering - Fueling the Future

In 2021, the estimated world population of 7.0 billion people consumed ~14 Gtoe of energy (at an average rate of 19.0 TW). Globally, burning of carbon-based fossil fuels supplies over 81% of the energy demand, and hence the prospering industrial societies are responsible for the observed increase in carbon dioxide levels form preindustrial 280 ppm to over 412.5 ppm measured last year. The constantly increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration is highly likely to result in global warming, sea level rise and ocean acidification. To reduce the environmental footprint of modern societies and address the limitations of fossil recourses, the projected increase in global energy demand must go along with the implementation of low-carbon energy production and carrier systems. In this presentation, the current energy status and future options will be discussed and compared. It will then be concluded by introducing our research efforts in utilizing formic acid as a NET-ZERO hydrogen/energy carrier and e-fuel.