PhD course in sustainable electrofuels and -chemicals

The transition of the energy sector from fossil-based fuels and resources to renewable resources and energy will significantly change the energy system of the future. Several technologies with different technology readiness levels are currently under development to make this transition happen; however, technical solutions and concepts still have to be developed and benchmarked against each other and existing technologies. But what are sustainable renewable resources and which technologies are sustainable in the long run? Storing electrical energy in synthetically derived fuels and chemicals through so-called “Power-to-X” technologies is currently seen as an important and promising route ahead. A focal point is thus the increased electrification and the options for chemical energy storage and commodity chemical production. In a project-based approach, the course will provide insight into the various technical concepts for synthetic fuels and chemicals based on renewable and bio resources.

The course consists of lectures addressing the general concepts and methodologies as well as individual student projects, addressing selected topics related to the synthesis of sustainable fuels and chemicals. The students will choose a specific topic or research project of interest to be analyzed in more detail especially as regards the technical concept and the sustainability aspects, and the results will be presented and discussed in plenum.

A student who has met the objectives of the course will be able to:

• Describe the concept/definition of sustainability
• Overview the main pathways for sustainable fuels and chemicals
• Identify drivers from the market and the energy system
• Understand the concept of main industrial routes to synthetic fuels
• Place traditional industrial processes into sustainable fuel and chemicals context
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of several electrochemical cell concepts
• Understand electrochemical, catalytic and electrocatalytic processes
• Describe actual initiatives and concrete research attempts
• Evaluate the ongoing research activities (e.g. national and international R&D projects as regards their sustainability aspects)

Evaluation of exercises/reports

The course is offered as an online course (distance learning). Lectures, exercises and group discussions and project presentations will be conducted via online streaming. The format of the final group presentations depends on the distribution of particip