Fundamentals and applied chemistry and biology for energy

Basic chemical issues related both to the well-established as well as the emerging energy technologies will be presented in this course. Special emphasis will be given in chemistry related to hydrogen energy, conversion and storage of electrochemical energy and chemical conversion of carbon dioxide. The following fields will be covered:

1. Fossil fuel energy.

2. Production, purification and usage of hydrogen.

3. Conversion and storage of electrochemical energy.

4. Biomass conversion.

5. Chemical/electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide.

6. Photoelectrochemical energy

The microorganisms and microbial technologies play a significant role in renewable energy production. The course covers the basics of microbiology, biochemistry and genetics including: basics of microbiology, biochemical reaction stoichiometry, mass balances and energetics of half reactions. Enzyme kinetics. The Michaelis-Menten and Briggs-Haldane models. Determination of kinetic parameters. Factors affecting enzymatic reactions (multiple substrates, co-enzymes, pH, temperature, reversible reactions). Enzyme inhibition (competitive, non-competitive, uncompetitive) and deactivation. Immobilized enzymes (mass transfer limitations, Thiele modulus, effectiveness factor). Kinetics of microbial growth, substrate utilization and metabolic product generation. The Monod model and comparison of various kinetic models. Factors affecting microbial growth. Sterilization and disinfection. Bioreactor types (batch, fed-batch, CSTR). Bioreactor design and productivity optimization. Sequence of bioreactors. Biofilms (the ideal biofilm, biofilm models). Examples of bioprocesses for energy production (anaerobic digestion etc.).