Sustainability Problem: Carbon Footprint, Energy, & Agriculture
- Nitrogen fixation is an energy-intensive process
- The Haber-Bösch process currently consumes about two percent of the world’s fossil fuel supply based on a Utah State University Study
Technology:
A new process which uses nanomaterials to capture light energy.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160421145805.htm
- All living things require nitrogen for survival
- There are only two processes that can break nitrogen’s strong bond to allow conversion to a form humans, animals and plants can consume
- Natural, bacterial process and the Haber-Bösch process
- The Haber-Bösch revolutionized fertilizer production and spurred unprecedented growth of the global food supply, however it consumes about two percent of the world’s fossil fuel supply
- “This new light-driven process could revolutionize agriculture, while reducing the world food supply’s dependence on fossil fuels and relieving Haber-Bösch’s heavy carbon footprint”
- This light technology allow for a much more energy efficient process
- This technology is not exclusive to food production, but can help develop clean fuel alternatives for many other applications
Organizational Stakeholders
- Energy Industry
- Food industry
- Clean energy companies
Deployment
- Education on the current carbon footprint issue in agriculture and new technology
- Develop plan to scale new light technology for agriculture
- Develop transition plan from old to new technology
- Scale technology to additional applications
Journal Reference:
- A. Brown, D. F. Harris, M. B. Wilker, A. Rasmussen, N. Khadka, H. Hamby, S. Keable, G. Dukovic, J. W. Peters, L. C. Seefeldt, P. W. King.Light-driven dinitrogen reduction catalyzed by a CdS:nitrogenase MoFe protein biohybrid.Science, 2016; 352 (6284): 448 DOI:10.1126/science.aaf2091
makeasmartcity 