Solar Thermochemistry
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Solar reactor in the lab of Prof. Aldo Steinfeld und doctoral student Philipp Furler at ETHZ (Zurich, Switzerland). This lab has done a lot of work on solar thermochemistry, including the solar upgrading of hydrocarbons.
Thermochemistry is the study of heat flow to or from a chemical reaction. Solar thermochemistry is an emerging process technology that uses concentrated solar energy to drive endothermic chemical reactions at elevated temperatures.
Applications
- production of carbon-neutral fuels (examples: water splitting or solar upgrading of hydrocarbons)
- solar metallurgy
- dissociation reactions, e.g. zinc (project: "SOLZINC")
- purification reactions
- A photogalvanic device is a type of battery in which the cell solution (or equivalent) forms energy-rich chemical intermediates when illuminated
- Photoelectrochemical cells or PECs consist of a semiconductor, typically titanium dioxide or related titanates, immersed in an electrolyte.
Related pages on OSE Wiki
Metal Refining, Heliostat, Solar metallurgy, Solar Upgrading of Hydrocarbons