Lecture

Electrifying Carbon and Nitrogen Conversion: Sustainable Technologies

Graph Chat

Chat with Graph Search

Ask any question about EPFL courses, lectures, exercises, research, news, etc. or try the example questions below.

DISCLAIMER: The Graph Chatbot is not programmed to provide explicit or categorical answers to your questions. Rather, it transforms your questions into API requests that are distributed across the various IT services officially administered by EPFL. Its purpose is solely to collect and recommend relevant references to content that you can explore to help you answer your questions.

Description

This lecture discusses the electrification of catalytic and separation processes for sustainable industrial systems, focusing on bipolar membrane electrolysis for carbon and nitrogen conversion. The instructor highlights the urgent need to decarbonize the industrial sector, which is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The lecture outlines the challenges associated with traditional methods of producing essential chemicals like ethylene and ammonia, which rely heavily on fossil fuels. The instructor presents innovative approaches to utilize carbon dioxide and nitrate from wastewater as feedstocks for chemical production, emphasizing the importance of developing efficient technologies that enhance circularity in chemical manufacturing. The discussion includes insights into the design of electrochemical systems, the role of materials in catalysis, and the potential for integrating these technologies into existing infrastructure. The lecture concludes with a call for further research and development in this field to achieve sustainable solutions for energy and resource recovery.

Official source

Related concepts (32)

Industrial wastewater treatment

Industrial wastewater treatment describes the processes used for treating wastewater that is produced by industries as an undesirable by-product. After treatment, the treated industrial wastewater (or effluent) may be reused or released to a sanitary sewer or to a surface water in the environment. Some industrial facilities generate wastewater that can be treated in sewage treatment plants.

Wastewater treatment

Wastewater treatment is a process which removes and eliminates contaminants from wastewater and converts this into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once returned to the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on the environment or is reused for various purposes (called water reclamation). The treatment process takes place in a wastewater treatment plant. There are several kinds of wastewater which are treated at the appropriate type of wastewater treatment plant.

Sewage treatment

Sewage treatment (or domestic wastewater treatment, municipal wastewater treatment) is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable to discharge to the surrounding environment or an intended reuse application, thereby preventing water pollution from raw sewage discharges. Sewage contains wastewater from households and businesses and possibly pre-treated industrial wastewater. There are a high number of sewage treatment processes to choose from.

Decentralized wastewater system

Decentralized wastewater systems (also referred to as decentralized wastewater treatment systems) convey, treat and dispose or reuse wastewater from small and low-density communities, buildings and dwellings in remote areas, individual public or private properties. Wastewater flow is generated when appropriate water supply is available within the buildings or close to them. Decentralized wastewater systems treat, reuse or dispose the effluent in relatively close vicinity to its source of generation.

Secondary treatment

Secondary treatment (mostly biological wastewater treatment) is the removal of biodegradable organic matter (in solution or suspension) from sewage or similar kinds of wastewater. The aim is to achieve a certain degree of effluent quality in a sewage treatment plant suitable for the intended disposal or reuse option. A "primary treatment" step often precedes secondary treatment, whereby physical phase separation is used to remove settleable solids.

Related lectures (64)

Photosynthesis: Microbial Mechanisms and Ecological Implications

Covers the mechanisms of photosynthesis, focusing on microbial processes and their ecological significance.

Microbial Growth and Iron Reduction: Environmental Implications

Explores microbial growth dynamics and iron reduction processes in environmental contexts, emphasizing their ecological significance and practical laboratory applications.

Microbial Growth: Understanding Environmental Microbiology

Covers microbial growth principles, enzyme kinetics, and the impact of nutrient limitations in environmental microbiology.

Microbiology for Engineers: Course Overview and Laboratory Sessions

Outlines the Microbiology for Engineers course structure, covering lectures, labs, and diversity initiatives.

Advanced OMP Removal: Oxidation and Adsorption Processes