After more than one century, the Ciamician words are very actual. The urgent
need to shift from a linear economy to a circular economy requires moving from
fossil energy to perennial energies such as solar-, wind-, geothermal- and
hydro-power or to renewable energy (biomass) for powering our life.
The paper of Ciamician was very future looking, in fact, it says: “omissis….In
desert areas where climatic conditions and the low quality of soil prevent any
vegetal culture, artificial photochemistry will add value. The arid areas will be
populated by industries without smog and chimneys: glass tubes and greenhouses -
rooms made of glass- will catch solar radiations and in such transparent reactors
photochemical processes will occur that were distinctive of plants and that humans
will have learnt to use: industry will be able to fasten such processes because
Nature is not in a hurry, but humanity is.”
However, the concept of solar chemistry is old of more than 100 years and it is
joined to the vision of an enhanced photosynthesis! Today we are in the urgent need
of implementing such concepts.
Solar chemistry is a vision and at the same time a necessity for shifting to a
circular economy. Solar energy can power industrial processes in many different
ways, e.g., thermal, photochemical, electrochemical, bioelectrochemical, photobioelectrochemical, each requiring peculiar operative conditions and producing
different classes of products.
10.2 Utilization of Solar Energy for Driving Chemical
Reactions
The large-scale storage of solar energy into chemical bonds, mimicking Nature,
despite old and recent efforts, is still today a visionary concept. Nevertheless,
solar-driven processes might find a large application that would save fossil
resources and avoid the formation of huge amounts of CO 2 . EUCheMS, the
European Association of Chemical and Molecular Sciences, and DFG-Germany
have recently published a white paper [2] highlighting the fields where solar-driven
chemistry would be more effective and the relevant benefits. The conversion of CO 2
into chemicals, materials and fuels powered by solar radiations is one of the elective
applications. Chapter 5 has described that solar energy can be used for generating
either high-temperature heat or electricity: both can be applied to CO 2 conversion.
In addition, solar radiations can be directly used for driving photochemical processes. However, solar energy can be used in three main different ways for driving
the conversion of CO 2 :
• Photochemical reactions (direct use of solar radiations)
• PV-driven processes, divided into three subsets
o Electrochemical
o Photoelectrochemical
178
10 Solar Chemistry and CO 2 Conversion
need to shift from a linear economy to a circular economy requires moving from
fossil energy to perennial energies such as solar-, wind-, geothermal- and
hydro-power or to renewable energy (biomass) for powering our life.
The paper of Ciamician was very future looking, in fact, it says: “omissis….In
desert areas where climatic conditions and the low quality of soil prevent any
vegetal culture, artificial photochemistry will add value. The arid areas will be
populated by industries without smog and chimneys: glass tubes and greenhouses -
rooms made of glass- will catch solar radiations and in such transparent reactors
photochemical processes will occur that were distinctive of plants and that humans
will have learnt to use: industry will be able to fasten such processes because
Nature is not in a hurry, but humanity is.”
However, the concept of solar chemistry is old of more than 100 years and it is
joined to the vision of an enhanced photosynthesis! Today we are in the urgent need
of implementing such concepts.
Solar chemistry is a vision and at the same time a necessity for shifting to a
circular economy. Solar energy can power industrial processes in many different
ways, e.g., thermal, photochemical, electrochemical, bioelectrochemical, photobioelectrochemical, each requiring peculiar operative conditions and producing
different classes of products.
10.2 Utilization of Solar Energy for Driving Chemical
Reactions
The large-scale storage of solar energy into chemical bonds, mimicking Nature,
despite old and recent efforts, is still today a visionary concept. Nevertheless,
solar-driven processes might find a large application that would save fossil
resources and avoid the formation of huge amounts of CO 2 . EUCheMS, the
European Association of Chemical and Molecular Sciences, and DFG-Germany
have recently published a white paper [2] highlighting the fields where solar-driven
chemistry would be more effective and the relevant benefits. The conversion of CO 2
into chemicals, materials and fuels powered by solar radiations is one of the elective
applications. Chapter 5 has described that solar energy can be used for generating
either high-temperature heat or electricity: both can be applied to CO 2 conversion.
In addition, solar radiations can be directly used for driving photochemical processes. However, solar energy can be used in three main different ways for driving
the conversion of CO 2 :
• Photochemical reactions (direct use of solar radiations)
• PV-driven processes, divided into three subsets
o Electrochemical
o Photoelectrochemical
178
10 Solar Chemistry and CO 2 Conversion