Faculty Candidate Seminar
Title: |
Solar syngas production from CO2 and H2O in two-step thermochemical cycles based on Zn/ZnO redox reactions |
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Speaker: |
Dr. Peter Loutzenhiser |
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Affiliation: |
ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland |
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When: |
Monday, March 7, 2011 at 11:00:00 AM |
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Where: |
MaRC Auditorium Building |
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Host: |
Dr. Srinivas Garimella | |
Abstract Solar thermochemistry utilizes concentrated solar irradiation as a high-temperature source of heat to drive endothermic processes. This results in the efficient storage of intermittent sunlight in the form of chemical fuels such as H2 and CO. The combination of H2 and CO constitutes synthesis gas (syngas): the precursor to liquid, hydrocarbon fuels required to power the transportation sectors. Two-step solar thermochemical cycles based on metal oxide redox reactions are of special interest for producing syngas directly from CO2 and H2O. This presentation will focus primarily on a two-step cycle based on Zn/ZnO redox reactions, encompassing: 1) the endothermic thermolysis of ZnO to Zn and O2 using concentrated solar irradiation as a source of process heat; and, 2) the non-solar, exothermic reaction of Zn with H2O/CO2 to produce H2/CO, respectively. The resultant ZnO is then recycled back to the first step in order to complete the cycle. The net reaction is CO2/H2O¡æCO/H2+¨öO2 with CO/H2 and O2 produced in separate steps, thereby, bypassing problematic gas separation of the products. |
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Biography Dr. Peter G. Loutzenhiser is a Lecturer and Research Associate in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University in 2006 while working at the Swiss Federal Laboratory for Materials Testing and Research (Empa). He currently serves on the editorial board of Materials and is the Technical Chair for Solar Fuels in the Solar Energy Division of the ASME. Since 2009, he has been the Solar Chemistry Track Chair at the ASME International Conference on Energy Sustainability. |
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