Rakesh Agrawal
School of Chemical Engineering
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana

Environmentally Friendly Energy Solutions

The recent rise in oil prices again reminds us that the world's supply of fossil fuels is finite.  Roughly 85 percent of current energy use is being met by fossil fuels.  Alternate primary energy sources are being identified and developed to permit the continued functioning of the world economy.  The first part of this presentation will survey some of these alternative sustainable primary energy sources:  solar, wind, nuclear and bio-based sources.  It will also review the particular challenges associated with various end uses of energy.

Common energy carriers, such as electricity, are used to move energy from several primary sources to many different end uses.  Recently, the possibility of an alternate energy system using H₂ as  a common energy carrier has been proposed and widely debated.  In such a system, H₂ would first have to be produced from a primary source.  It would then need to be transported, delivered and stored at the point of end use.  The second part of this presentation will briefly highlight the challenges associated with H₂ supply chain that is currently being considered for fuel cell vehicles.

Finally, some new and novel solutions to sustain the current transportation sector will be presented.  These solutions provide a feasible framework for a fossil fuel-free world.  Also they provide exciting possibilities for chemical engineers to apply their expertise and contribute to the grand challenge of energy.