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Energy and Environment Research Division
Research at PSI comprises all aspects of human energy use, with the ultimate goal of promoting development towards a sustainable energy supply system. Technologies are being advanced for the utilization of renewable energy sources, low-loss energy storage, efficient conversion, and low emission energy use. Experimental and model-based assessment of these emissions forms the basis of a comprehensive assessment of economic, environmental and social consequences, for both present and future energy supply systems.
Division Head: Prof. Dr. Thomas Justus Schmidt
Energy Briefing Event 2023
The Energy and Environment Division of the Paul Scherrer Institut PSI successfully hosted their second Energy Briefing Event at the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern. The event focused on the potentials and challenges associated with the production, regulation, and utilization of synthetic fuels. Representatives from WWF, Avenergy, PSI, and BAZL shared their expertise and insights on this topic.
A heartfelt appreciation goes out to Ulrich Koss (Metafuels), Theo Rindlisbacher (BAZL), Christian Bach (Empa), Thomas J. Schmidt (PSI), Thomas Häusler (WWF Switzerland), Daniel Hofer (Avenergy Suisse), and our moderator Stephan Lendi for their invaluable contributions and insightful perspectives.
Energy Briefing Event 2022
On June 28th, 2022, the Energy Divisions (ENE and NES) at PSI hosted their first Energy Briefing Event at the Kursaal in Bern. Knowledgeable voices from industry, research and government shared insights in a dialogue on the feasibility of the Net Zero goal and what next steps are required to achieve this collectively.
A big thank you to Daniela Decurtins (GazEnergy), Particia Sandmeier (Hitachi Energy), Martin Naef (ABB), Pascal Previdoli (BFE), Thomas Schmidt (PSI), Christian Verhoeven (GE), Peter Richner (Empa), Andreas Pautz (PSI) and our Moderator Stephan Lendi for their valuable contributions and insights!
Highlights & News
Ice-core evidence of earliest extensive copper metallurgy in the Andes 2700 years ago
Although copper (Cu) was essential for the wealth of pre- and post-colonial societies in the Andes, the onset of extensive Cu metallurgy in South America is still debated. Based on a 6500 year ice-core Cu record from Illimani glacier in Bolivia we provide the first complete history of large-scale Cu smelting activities in South America. Earliest anthropogenic Cu pollution was found during the Early Horizon period ~700-50 BC. We attribute the onset of intensified Cu smelting in South America to the activities of the central Andean Chiripa and Chavin cultures ~2700 years ago. This study provides for the first time substantial evidence for extensive Cu metallurgy already during these early cultures.
De nouvelles approches des réactions chimiques grâce aux nanotechnologies
80 % des produits de l’industrie chimique sont fabriqués par recours à la catalyse. Ce procédé est également indispensable dans la conversion énergétique et l’épuration des gaz d’échappement. L’industrie teste donc continuellement de nouvelles substances et de nouvelles configurations susceptibles de déboucher sur de nouveaux procédés catalytiques plus performants. Des chercheurs de l’Institut Paul Scherrer PSI à Villigen et de l’ETH Zurich ont à présent développé une méthode qui permet d’améliorer nettement la précision de tels essais, ce qui devrait accélérer la recherche de solutions optimales.
Les substances qui rendent les nuages blancs
Les nuages sont faits de minuscules gouttelettes. Celles-ci se forment lorsque l’eau se condense sur de petites particules en suspension dans l’atmosphère appelées aérosols. Pour mieux comprendre l’apparition des aérosols des chercheurs ont à présent effectué une vaste simulation numérique fondée sur des données expérimentales étendues. Or cette simulation montre qu’outre l’acide sulfurique, deux autres substances jouent un rôle décisif dans l’apparition d’aérosols: certains composés organiques et l’ammoniac. Les résultats de recherche viennent d’être publiés dans Science, la revue spécialisée renommée.
Labile peroxides in secondary organic aerosol
Aerosols, suspended fine liquid or solid particles in the air we breathe, play a central role in many environmental processes through their influence on climate, the hydrological cycle, and their adverse effects on human health. While the mechanisms by which aerosol particles affect our health remain uncertain, the atmospheric oxidation of organic vapors has been shown to be related to the formation of oxygenated organic matter with high oxidative potential, the so-called reactive oxygen species (ROS).
Carburant solaire
En dépit de son potentiel important, l’énergie solaire est toujours face à un problème: le soleil ne brille pas tout le temps et son énergie est difficilement stockable. Des chercheurs de l’Institut Paul Scherrer PSI et de l’ETH Zurich sont les premiers à présenter un processus chimique permettant d’utiliser l’énergie thermique du soleil pour produire directement des carburants hautement énergétiques à partir de dioxyde de carbone et d’eau. Ils ont développé à cet effet une nouvelle combinaison de matériaux à base d’oxyde de cérium et de rhodium.
Les mesures d’aujourd’hui renseignent sur les nuages du passé
Des chercheurs ont montré que la poussière fine pouvait se former dans l’atmosphère à partir de substances naturelles. Leurs résultats améliorent significativement nos connaissances sur les nuages de l’ère préindustrielle et ainsi, contribuent à une description plus précise de l’évolution passée et future du climat.
Organic Nitrate Contribution to New Particle Formation and Growth in Secondary Organic Aerosols from α-Pinene Ozonolysis
The chemical kinetics of organic nitrate production during new particle formation and growth of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) were investigated using the short-lived radioactive tracer 13N in flow-reactor studies of α-pinene oxidation with ozone. Direct and quantitative measurements of the nitrogen content indicate that organic nitrates accounted for ∼40% of SOA mass during initial particle formation, decreasing to ∼15% upon particle growth to the accumulation-mode size range (>100 nm). Experiments with OH scavengers and kinetic model results suggest that organic peroxy radicals formed by α-pinene reacting with secondary OH from ozonolysis are key intermediates in the organic nitrate formation process
Pb pollution from leaded gasoline in South America in the context of a 2000-year metallurgical history
Exploitation of the extensive polymetallic deposits of the Andean Altiplano in South America since precolonial times has caused substantial emissions of neurotoxic lead (Pb) into the atmosphere; however, its historical significance compared to recent Pb pollution from leaded gasoline is not yet resolved. We present a comprehensive Pb emission history for the last two millennia for South America, based on a continuous, high-resolution, ice core record from Illimani glacier. Illimani is the highest mountain of the eastern Bolivian Andes and is located at the northeastern margin of the Andean Altiplano.
Polychlorinated biphenyls in glaciers
We present a highly time-resolved historical record of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from an Alpine ice core (Fiescherhorn glacier, Switzerland). Introduced in the 1940s, PCBs were widely used industrial chemicals. Because of their persistence they are still found in the environment, long after their production phase-out. The Fiescherhorn ice core record covers the entire time period of industrial use of PCBs, that is, 1940?2002. The total concentration of six PCBs varies from 0.5 to 5 ng/L and reveals a temporal trend, with an 8-fold increase from the early 1940s to the peak value in the 1970s.
