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SUMMARY:Swiss Chemical Society Lectureship: Taking the Global Energy Chall
 enge Head-On - Surpassing the C- and N- Fixation Processes of Nature
DTSTART:20261014T111500
DTEND:20261014T121500
DTSTAMP:20261007T140259Z
UID:b968fcb428de26764bc25dd97d102e0ad331988d112be965febdd74c
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Prof. Daniel G. Nocera (Patterson Rockwood Professor of Energ
 y at Harvard University)\nDaniel G. Nocera is the Patterson Rockwood Profe
 ssor of Energy at Harvard University. Nocera is recognized for his discove
 ries in renewable energy\, originating new paradigms that have defined the
  field of solar energy conversion and storage. Nocera created the field of
  proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) at a mechanistic level by making 
 the first measurements that temporally resolved the movement of an electro
 n coupled to a proton. On this experimental foundation\, he provided the f
 irst theory of PCET. With PCET as a guiding framework\, he invented the Ar
 tificial Leaf and the Bionic Leaf. The Artificial Leaf comprises Si coated
  with catalysts to capture the direct solar process of photosynthesis – 
 the use of sunlight to split water to hydrogen and oxygen from neutral wat
 er\, at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. The Bionic Leaf-C compr
 ises a bio-engineered organism interfaced with the catalysts of the Artifi
 cial Leaf to capture the dark process of photosynthesis – the combinatio
 n of carbon dioxide and hydrogen to produce biomass and liquid fuels. The 
 integration of the light and dark processes of the Artificial Leaf and the
  Bionic Leaf-C\, respectively\, allowed Nocera to develop a complete artif
 icial photosynthesis — sunlight + air + water to biomass and liquid fuel
 s. The Bionic Leaf-C is much more efficient than natural photosynthesis\, 
 exceeding the biomass efficiencies of natural photosynthesis by a factor o
 f ×10 and biomass-to-fuels efficiencies by a factor of ×100. Extending t
 his approach to the Bionic Leaf-N\, Nocera has achieved a renewable and di
 stributed Haber-Bosch synthesis of ammonia from nitrogen in air by couplin
 g solar-based water splitting to a nitrogen and carbon fixing microorganis
 m to produce a living biofertilizer\, resulting in increased crop yields a
 nd early harvests. In the latest field trial for leafy vegetables (90% che
 mical replacement of urea ammonium nitrate)\, use of the biofertilizer on 
 a 400-acre farm mitigated 153 metric tons of carbon dioxide from being rel
 eased into the atmosphere. Additionally\, the Bionic Leaf-N as a living bi
 ofertilizer avoids nitrogen runoff and thus has an important future role i
 n sustainable farming. These science discoveries set the stage for the lar
 ge scale and distributed deployment of solar energy fuels and food product
 ion using only sunlight\, air and any water source. With such simple natur
 al inputs\, these discoveries are particularly useful to the poor\, where 
 large infrastructures for fuel and food production are not tenable.\n\nNoc
 era’s research contributions have been recognized by several awards\, so
 me of which include the Leigh Ann Conn Prize for Renewable Energy\, Italga
 s Prize\, IAPS Award\, Burghausen Prize\, the United Nation’s Science an
 d Technology Award\, Firenze Award in Molecular Sciences\, F. A. Cotton Me
 dal\, Clarivate Citation Laureate and from the American Chemical Society t
 he Inorganic Chemistry\, Harrison Howe\, Kosolapoff and Remsen Awards and 
 the FA Cotton Medal. He is a member of the American Philosophical Society\
 , American Academy of Arts and Sciences\, the U.S. National Academy of Sci
 ences and the Indian Academy of Sciences. He was named as 100 Most Influen
 tial People in the World by Time Magazine and was 11th on the New Statesma
 n’s list on the same topic.
LOCATION:CM 1 5 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==CM%201%205
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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