NKEK13021U Sustainable Chemistry

Volume 2014/2015
Education
MSc Programme in Chemistry
Content

The course covers the following topics:
-       The concept of sustainable chemistry
-       Industrial aspects of sustainable chemistry including catalytic removal of pollutants
-       Advanced reaction kinetics
-       Chemical and physical processes at surfaces including surface characterization and theoretical modeling.
-       Applications of heterogeneous catalysis including fuel cell applications, and interfacial processes for energy storage
-       Chemical energy conversion including solar energy storage and conversion
-       Renewables – organic feedstock beyond fossil fuels Renevables – small molecule activation and functionalization
-       Green chemistry using enzymes and other renewable biomolecules

Learning Outcome

Knowledge:
Giving examples of industrial implementations of sustainable chemistry principles
Different types of interfaces; the solid-liquid, the solid-gas and the liquid-gas interface but also the solid-solid and liquid-liquid interface and how these are modeled theoretically,
Dispersion forces at the interfaces,
Thermodynamics of interfaces
Effect of charges at the interfaces,
Effect of absorption, desorption, sticking etc. at interfaces,
Selected processes relevant to renewable chemicals including organic and inorganic building blocks. –
Structure-function relationships in enzymes and how rational designed enzymes can be utilized in green chemistry.

Skills:
Determine how ecofriendly a process is.
Describing catalytic processes mathematically in form of kinetic models.
Accounting for the underlying concepts of sustainable chemistry. 
Accounting for different applications of heterogeneous catalysis
Accounting for the energetics involved in energy storage processes and identify potentially relevant reactions
Accounting for natural photosynthesis and various approaches to artificial photosynthesis
Accounting for different applications of homogeneous catalysis using enzymes

Competency:
To be able to judge the ecofriendliness and sustainability of processes
 

Literature will be announced on Absalon
Lecture slides

A mix of lecturers and tutorials/group work on . Visits to companies working in the field of sustainable chemistry.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Exam
  • 0,5
  • Excursions
  • 4,5
  • Lectures
  • 84
  • Practical exercises
  • 48
  • Preparation
  • 275
  • Total
  • 412,0
Credit
15 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination
Written assignment
An essay with one week preparation time and a 30 minutes oral exam. External censorship, graded according to the 7-step scale.
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Criteria for exam assesment

See learning outcome