Uploaded December 2022 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
1309th Ordinary General Meeting and 2021 James Cook Medal Lecture of the Royal Society of NSW — 7 December 2022
“Harnessing solar energy through catalysis to make chemicals and fuel”
Scientia Professor Rose Amal AC FRSN FAA FTSE
School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney
Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction to the Speaker: Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN FTSE FAHMS, President, Royal Society of NSW
00:02:02 Presentation: Scientia Professor Rose Amal AC FRSN FAA FTSE
00:51:43 Q&A Session: moderated by Dr Elizabeth Deane FRSN
Summary: Catalysis is the heart of chemistry – most chemical reactions need catalysts – so we want to make these reactions efficient and the process as sustainable as possible. Turning to the Sun as an energy source to activate catalysts is an obvious place to focus our investigations because it reduces our reliance on unsustainable fossil fuels. There are a number of means in utilising the sun’s energy to drive energetically demanding catalytic processes. We can use (i) electricity from photovoltaic transformation of sunlight to drive electro-catalytic reactions (electrocatalysis), (ii) heat of the sun to activate thermal catalyst (thermal catalysis), and (iii) light of the sun to excite electrons from valence band of a semiconductor to its conduction band (photo catalysis).
Here, Professor Amal presents their ongoing research in harnessing the full solar energy spectrum (from ultraviolet to infra-red) to induce or/and enhance catalytic CO2 and NOx reduction. Using solar energy to catalytically reduce CO2 and NOx has the potential to convert the waste CO2 and NOx into fuel and feedstocks, allowing the dual opportunity to store the intermittent renewable energy as well as closing the anthropogenic carbon and NOx cycle.
1309th Ordinary General Meeting and 2021 James Cook Medal Lecture of the Royal Society of NSW — 7 December 2022
“Harnessing solar energy through catalysis to make chemicals and fuel”
Scientia Professor Rose Amal AC FRSN FAA FTSE
School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney
Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction to the Speaker: Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN FTSE FAHMS, President, Royal Society of NSW
00:02:02 Presentation: Scientia Professor Rose Amal AC FRSN FAA FTSE
00:51:43 Q&A Session: moderated by Dr Elizabeth Deane FRSN
Summary: Catalysis is the heart of chemistry – most chemical reactions need catalysts – so we want to make these reactions efficient and the process as sustainable as possible. Turning to the Sun as an energy source to activate catalysts is an obvious place to focus our investigations because it reduces our reliance on unsustainable fossil fuels. There are a number of means in utilising the sun’s energy to drive energetically demanding catalytic processes. We can use (i) electricity from photovoltaic transformation of sunlight to drive electro-catalytic reactions (electrocatalysis), (ii) heat of the sun to activate thermal catalyst (thermal catalysis), and (iii) light of the sun to excite electrons from valence band of a semiconductor to its conduction band (photo catalysis).
Here, Professor Amal presents their ongoing research in harnessing the full solar energy spectrum (from ultraviolet to infra-red) to induce or/and enhance catalytic CO2 and NOx reduction. Using solar energy to catalytically reduce CO2 and NOx has the potential to convert the waste CO2 and NOx into fuel and feedstocks, allowing the dual opportunity to store the intermittent renewable energy as well as closing the anthropogenic carbon and NOx cycle.
