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AIChE Webinar: Energy Storage: Research Directions, Applications, and Limitations
Presented by Dr. Tim Mueller, Dr. Leon Shaw, and Dr. Trung Van Nguyen. Moderated by Anita Luong.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Energy storage technologies have recently been gaining attention, spurred on by the shift toward sustainable energy. Simply put, energy storage is the ability to transport energy through time; energy produced at one point in time can be stored and then used at a later point in time. This ability has the potential to revolutionize the energy landscape. The scope of energy storage is broad, as many sectors of the energy industry, such as transportation fuels, consumer electronics, and the electric power grid, can be greatly influenced by it.
However, as with the development of any new technology, energy storage faces many barriers. In response, many researchers are focusing their time and effort to address these challenges. This webinar aims to explore a sampling of energy storage research.
Topics to be presented are computational materials design, flow batteries, and hydrogen storage for automotive applications. The focus of these presentations will be to introduce listeners to the most recent developments in these fields of research.
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SBE Webinar: Electrofuel Production Using Ammonia or Iron as Redox Mediators in Reverse Microbial Fuel Cells by Dr. Scott Banta
Scott Banta
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Attend the May
SBE webinar and spend time with Dr. Scott Banta as
he takes you through his presentation entitled "Electrofuel Production
Using Ammonia or Iron as Redox Mediators in Reverse Microbial Fuel Cells”.
The
production of electrofuels requires the efficient transport of electrons from
an electrochemical system into a biological system. We have approached this challenge by
identifying natural chemical mediators that 1) can be easily reduced
electrochemically and 2) are natural substrates for different bacterial
strains, thus eliminating the need to engineer this aspect of primary
metabolism in the biological hosts. In
our first project we have constructed a reverse microbial fuel cell using the
ammonia oxidizing bacteria, N. europaea. These cells grow planktonically and
they efficiently oxidize ammonia to nitrite while fixing carbon dioxide. We have developed an electrochemical reactor
to reduce the nitrite back to ammonia so that we are producing biomass from
electricity and air. We have recently
engineered the N. europaea cells to produce isobutanol, which is a
transportation infrastructure compatible biofuel. In a second project we are working with A.
ferrooxidans, which is an iron oxidizing bacteria used in biomining
operations. The oxidized iron can be
readily reduced electrochemically, and efforts are underway to engineer these
cells to make isobutanol as well. As
these processes are developed and optimized, they may be able to produce
biofuels and other petroleum derived chemicals from electricity and air.
This Webinar is FREE to members of SBE. Simply click 'Attend this Webinar' below and our system will recognize your log in and charge you $0.
AIChE members may join SBE for only $15. Join SBE now (processing takes about 24 hours) and return to this page with your new log-in and you will receive this webinar for FREE.
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AIChE Webinar: Chemical Product Design
Presented by Edward L. Cussler
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
The new product-oriented chemical industry has three categories of products with different key characteristics. The first and most obvious category is commodities, the same products that used to dominate the chemical enterprise. The key for producing these products is their cost.
The second and third categories of products may be less familiar. The second category involves molecules with molecular weights of 500 to 700 and with specific social benefits. The most obvious examples are pharmaceuticals. The key to their production is their time to market, i.e., the speed of their discovery and production.
The third category includes products where the value is added by a specific microstructure. The key to these products is their function. For example, I don’t care why my shoes shine after I have applied polish; I only care that they do shine. Customers pay a premium for such a function.
This webinar will discuss whether the skill set of chemists and chemical engineers is appropriate for this altered chemical industry. While the basic skill set remains strong, the applications currently emphasize commodity chemicals. This emphasis includes such classical subjects like reaction kinetics and thermodynamics. In the future, new topics, including those based on psychology, on sustainability, and on product design, may become more central for chemical professionals.
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The Secret Science of Movie Stunts and Special Effects
Presented by Steve Wolf
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
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Biofuels: Metrics and Challenges
Presented by John Carberry
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
The webinar will cover leading candidates for both solid and liquid biofuels. The criteria for evaluating these fuels in a combined technical, economic, social and regulatory environment will be reviewed. Based on the fit of various choices, the challenges to be solved for the various candidates will be reviewed and the presenter’s observations about the most promising, as well as the "grand challenges" to be solved will be offered.
Attendees will learn about the critical economic, environmental and social issues that will impact a biofuels project along with the technical programs that could enhance a particular project.
Those who would benefit from this presentation include technical persons who are, or might be, working on biofuels projects and technology and research managers responsible for developing and implementing biofuels projects.
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