270290 VO Where porous materials can make an impact: 7 chemical separations to change the world (2024W)

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Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

Language: English

Examination dates

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

Note: These dates are for both "Where porous materials can make an impact: 7 chemical separations to change the world" and "Porous Organic Materials" courses, which will be offered consecutively. More details will follow on which dates are applicable to each individual course.

Monday 07.10. 11:15 - 12:45 Seminarraum 3 Organische Chemie 1OG Boltzmanngasse 1
Monday 14.10. 11:15 - 12:45 Seminarraum 3 Organische Chemie 1OG Boltzmanngasse 1
Monday 21.10. 11:15 - 12:45 Seminarraum 3 Organische Chemie 1OG Boltzmanngasse 1
Monday 28.10. 11:15 - 12:45 Seminarraum 3 Organische Chemie 1OG Boltzmanngasse 1
Monday 04.11. 11:15 - 12:45 Seminarraum 3 Organische Chemie 1OG Boltzmanngasse 1
Monday 11.11. 11:15 - 12:45 Seminarraum 3 Organische Chemie 1OG Boltzmanngasse 1
Monday 18.11. 11:15 - 12:45 Seminarraum 3 Organische Chemie 1OG Boltzmanngasse 1
Monday 25.11. 11:15 - 12:45 Seminarraum 3 Organische Chemie 1OG Boltzmanngasse 1
Monday 02.12. 11:15 - 12:45 Seminarraum 3 Organische Chemie 1OG Boltzmanngasse 1
Monday 09.12. 11:15 - 12:45 Seminarraum 3 Organische Chemie 1OG Boltzmanngasse 1
Monday 16.12. 11:15 - 12:45 Seminarraum 3 Organische Chemie 1OG Boltzmanngasse 1
Monday 13.01. 11:15 - 12:45 Seminarraum 3 Organische Chemie 1OG Boltzmanngasse 1
Monday 20.01. 11:15 - 12:45 Seminarraum 3 Organische Chemie 1OG Boltzmanngasse 1
Monday 27.01. 11:15 - 12:45 Seminarraum 3 Organische Chemie 1OG Boltzmanngasse 1

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

More energy efficient methods for the purification of chemicals may save many millions of tonnes of CO2 emissions annually and enable new sources of materials to be exploited
Unfortunately, alternatives to distillation, such as separating molecules according to their chemical properties or size, remain underdeveloped and/or expensive to scale. Engineers need to
develop better separation techniques that do not rely heavily on heat.
This course highlights seven chemical separation processes that, if improved, would reap great global benefits. We will learn why each separation is important, how the separation is performed currently, and together we will look to the future for solutions!

The 7 separations are:
1. Hydrocarbons from crude oil
2. Uranium from seawater
3. Alkenes from alkanes
4. Greenhouse gases from emissions
5. Rare-earth metals from ores
6. Benzene derivatives from each other
7. Trace contaminants from water

Assessment and permitted materials

Oral examination with individual appointment - up to 2 students at a time. Typically 30-60 minutes. In the case of Covid-19 restrictions exams will be conducted online.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

At least three questions per student. For a pass grade more than half of the questions should be answered correctly.

Examination topics

Lecture content:

Importance of separations. Importance of isolated chemicals. Why are improvements required? Conventional separation techniques. Drawbacks. Future outlook.

Reading list

Lecture slides primarily.

"David S. Sholl & Ryan P. Lively, Nature, 2016, 532, 435–437" was the inspiration for the course and also a rich source for further reading.

Association in the course directory

CH-MAT-04, WB2, Processes and Utilization

Last modified: Th 04.09.2025 15:27