GREENBAT meets GREENCAT: towards delivering truly sustainable energy storage and conversion technologies

Kavli Medal and Lecture 5 May 2022 given by Professor Magda Titirici.
 
It is imperative we mitigate and then reverse carbon emissions. COP26 recently took place with the goal of a global commitment to keep a maximum of 1.5 C warming within reach.
 
A green industrial revolution powered by many sustainable innovations evolving in parallel is essential.  Yet we need to make sure that this new revolution happens sustainably and does not create more damage. We must learn from past mistakes and learn how to see the bigger picture rather than immediate goals. 
 
Batteries and catalytic processes are key for delivering the green industrial revolution by storing the intermittent renewable energy and releasing it when is needed most to decarbonise our economy across various sectors. Yet, battery materials and catalysts for various sustainable technologies (such as green H2 generation and conversion) are facing real challenges as they are based on critical and expensive metals. 
 
Professor Titirici’s research group and collaborators are working towards addressing this important challenge of creating sustainable materials based on widely available resources while creating a circular economy of recycling biowaste into advanced materials and implementing them in sustainable energy technologies, from new battery chemistries to important catalytic processes using renewable electricity for H2 production and use.