Be a Scientist or Engineer, Save the World Joan F. Brennecke Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering University of Notre Dame Hypatia Day St. Mary s College February 19, 2005
- A little about me - Why I became an engineer - What I do at Notre Dame - Why we need YOU to be a scientist or engineer
My research alternative solvents Solvents are essential for almost every industry, but... Industrial processing operations release 20 million tons of VOCs per year Solvents make up 2/3 of all industrial emissions and 1/3 of all VOC emissions nationwide Solvent emissions linked to Poor air quality Human illness Global climate change Why can t we prevent environmental discharge? Conventional solvents readily evaporate
My Research Ionic Liquids Organic salts that are liquid at temperatures around ambient Liquid over a wide range of temperatures; hence, can be used as solvents Can do lots of reactions in them Ionic liquids have vanishingly low vapor pressures fugitive emissions not a problem worker exposure less likely flammability danger decreased Will not cause air pollution!!
Humanity s Top Ten Challenges for next 50 years
Humanity s Top Ten Challenges for next 50 years 1. ENERGY 2. WATER 3. FOOD 4. ENVIRONMENT 5. POVERTY 6. TERRORISM & WAR 7. DISEASE 8. EDUCATION 9. DEMOCRACY 10. POPULATION 2003 6.3 Billion People 2050 8-10 Billion People
The ENERGY REVOLUTION (The Terawatt Challenge) 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 5 10 0 0.5% Oil Coal Gas Fission Biomass Hydroelectric Solar, wind, geothermal Source: Internatinal Energy Agency 2003 14 Terawatts 210 M BOE/day 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 2050 30 -- 60 Terawatts 450 900 MBOE/day Oil Coal Gas Fusion / Fission Biomass Hydroelectric Solar, wind, geothermal The Basis of Prosperity 20 st Century = OIL 21 st Century =??
U.S. Energy Consumption by source - 1850-2000 120 100 Non-hydro Renewables Quadrillion BTUs 80 60 40 Hydro Nuclear Natural Gas 20 Wood Crude Oil 0 1850 1870 1890 1910 1930 1950 1970 1990 Source: 1850-1949, Energy Perspectives: A Presentation of Major Energy and Energy-Related Data, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1975; 1950-2000, Annual Energy Review 2000, Table 1.3. Coal
U.S. Energy Consumption by Sector - 2002 Industry 33% 10% Transportation 27% 22% Electricity Buildings 40% Source: Energy Information Administration / Annual Energy Review 2002 Tables 2.1a-2.1d
Dependence on Foreign Oil U.S. Transportation Use of Petroleum 30 Domestic Petroleum Usage 25 Today Millions of Barrels per Day 20 15 10 5 Imports 0 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 Actual: Annual Energy Review 2000 Tbls 1.2, 5.1 and 5.12 Forecast: Annual Energy Outlook 2002 Tbls 7 and 11 Split between Autos and Lt Truck: Transportation Energy Data Book Edition 21 Tbl 2.6 Updated October 2002
U.S. Dependence on Foreign Oil Have Oil Saudi Arabia 26% Iraq 11% Kuwait 10% Iran 9% UAE 8% Venezuela 6% Russia 5% Libya 3% Mexico 3% China 3% Nigeria 2% U.S. 2% Use Oil U.S. 26% Japan 7% China 6% Germany 4% Canada 4% Russia 3% Brazil 3% S. Korea 3% France 3% India 3% Mexico 3% Italy 2% The U.S. uses more than the next 5 highest consuming nations combined. Updated March 2003. Source: International Energy Annual 2001 (EIA), Tables 11.4 and 11.10.
World Energy Millions of Barrels per Day (Oil Equivalent) 300 200 100 0 1860 1900 1940 1980 2020 2060 2100 Source: John F. Bookout (President of Shell USA), Two Centuries of Fossil Fuel Energy International Geological Congress, Washington DC; July 10,1985. Episodes, vol 12, 257-262 (1989).
Fossil Fuel Reserves Recoverable Reserve Life Reserve Life Reserves, @Current @Projected GDP GTC Rate, Yr Growth, Yr Oil 120 35 25 Natural Gas 75 60 45 Coal 925 400 100
PRIMARY ENERGY SOURCES Alternatives to Oil TOO LITTLE Conservation / Efficiency -- not enough Hydroelectric -- not enough Biomass -- not enough Wind -- not enough Wave & Tide -- not enough CHEMICAL Natural Gas -- sequestration?, cost? Clean Coal -- sequestration?, cost? NUCLEAR (including the sun) Nuclear Fission -- radioactive waste?, terrorism?, cost? Nuclear Fusion -- too difficult?, cost? Geothermal HDR -- cost?, enough? Solar terrestrial -- cost? Solar power satellites -- cost? Lunar Solar Power -- cost?
165,000 TW of sunlight hit the earth every day
Solar Cell Land Area Requirements 6 Boxes at 3.3 TW Each = 20 TWe
Power For SPACE Power From SPACE
ENERGY from the Moon!
Enabling Technological Revolutions Photovoltaics -- drop cost by 100 fold. Photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 to methanol. Direct photoconversion of light + water to produce H 2. Fuel cells -- drop the cost by 10-100x + low temp start + reversible H 2 storage -- light weight materials for pressure tanks and LH 2 vessels, and/or a new light weight, easily reversible hydrogen chemisorption system (material X). Batteries, supercapacitors, flywheels -- improve by 10-100x for automotive and distributed generation applications. Power cables (superconductors, or quantum conductors) with which to rewire the electrical transmission grid, and enable continental, and even worldwide electrical energy transport; and also to replace aluminum and copper wires essentially everywhere -- particularly in the windings of electric motors and generators (especially good if we can eliminate eddy current losses).
The biggest single challenge for the next few decades: ENERGY for 10 10 people. At MINIMUM we need 10 Terawatts (150 M BOE/day) from some new clean energy source by 2050 For worldwide peace and prosperity we need it to be cheap. We simply can not do this with current technology. We need YOU to enter Physical Science and Engineering. Understand the MISSION ( BE A SCIENTIST OR ENGINEER - SAVE THE WORLD ) We need a bold new APOLLO PROGRAM to find the NEW ENERGY TECHNOLOGY
The S&T Workforce Problem Number of Physics Ph.D. Degrees Awarded in the U.S. 1800 1600 Number of Ph.D.s 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 End of WW II Sputnik 200 0 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 Year TOTAL U.S. Citizens Permanent Visa Temporary Visa
Ph.D. Degress Awarded in Science and Engineering Number of Ph.D. Degrees 25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 Asian Citizens all fields U.S. Citizens all fields. U.S. Citizens in physical sciences and engineering 0 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Year Sources: Science and Engineering Doctorate Awards, NSF, 1996 and 2000. Science and Engineering Indicators, NSB, 2002.
Ph.D. Degrees in Physics as a Percentage of GDP 0.05 0.04 Percent 0.03 0.02 0.01 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Year GDP is expressed in constant 1996 dollars (in million) Source: American Institute of Physics & National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators, 2002. Physical Scientist Production in the US is not keeping up with GDP even though the physical sciences are the basis of most wealth creation.
Be a Scientist or Engineer, Save the World Acknowledgement: Rick Smalley, Rice University Stanley Bull, NREL Jeff Siirola, Eastman Chemical