1 00:00:11,870 --> 00:00:16,790 I am Huneck Mahadi and I will be talking about how Maricich and solid catalysis 2 00:00:16,790 --> 00:00:22,790 can help us save energy and also develop cleaner alternative sources of energy, 3 00:00:22,790 --> 00:00:29,930 80 percent of the global energy consumption comes from fossil fuels, which includes oil, natural gas and coal. 4 00:00:29,930 --> 00:00:36,710 Not only do these fossil fuel sources cost money and also produce carbon dioxide gas, which is a greenhouse gas, 5 00:00:36,710 --> 00:00:45,490 the biggest concern is that they are limited and non-renewable, so there might not be any left for the next generations to come. 6 00:00:45,490 --> 00:00:54,130 So this is why my research in solid Catullus can help tackle this issue as a background, a catalyst is a substance that speeds up a reaction. 7 00:00:54,130 --> 00:01:00,370 Think of it as a hill and you have to go from point A to point B by going over the hill. 8 00:01:00,370 --> 00:01:07,600 But imagine if you can dig a tunnel underneath the hill. Now, you can go from A to B much faster and easier. 9 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:15,220 So the Hill is like the energy requirements for a chemical process to occur and the tunnel is how the catalyst speeds up the reaction. 10 00:01:15,220 --> 00:01:21,730 So the implication of this is that the use of the Catullus energy requirement, such as temperature, can be lowered. 11 00:01:21,730 --> 00:01:27,190 Solid catalyst usually consists of very expensive metals, metals that you normally use in your jewellery, 12 00:01:27,190 --> 00:01:33,010 like platinum called palladium, rhodium and silver because of their cost. 13 00:01:33,010 --> 00:01:38,170 We need to maximise this catalyst by making them into very small nanoparticles. 14 00:01:38,170 --> 00:01:43,660 Each of these nanoparticles is about a thousand times smaller than the thickness of your hair. 15 00:01:43,660 --> 00:01:54,060 By making these solid catalysts into these small sizes, we are not only maximising their surface area, but also maximising their activities. 16 00:01:54,060 --> 00:01:59,700 So coming back to our energy issue, Solek catalysts can tackle it in two ways. 17 00:01:59,700 --> 00:02:03,480 Firstly, it's about conserving the current fossil fuel energy. 18 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:11,520 The chemical industry is the most energy demanding industry in the industrial sector, which relies heavily on fossil fuel energy sources. 19 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:18,960 But using the solid catalysts, these processes in the chemical industry can be performed at lower temperatures so we 20 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:24,090 can produce the same amount of chemical products but at a much lower temperature, 21 00:02:24,090 --> 00:02:26,280 therefore saving us a lot of energy. 22 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:34,560 For example, the process of making ammonia, which is used in fertilisers and very crucial to plant growth for food production. 23 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:42,480 With the help of a catalyst, the temperature needed for ammonia production can be lowered from a thousand degrees Celsius to 400 degrees Celsius. 24 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:47,970 Secondly, solid catalyst gives us a way to make cleaner alternative sources of energy. 25 00:02:47,970 --> 00:02:55,200 One example is the application of Follet Catalyst and hydrogen fuel production from the process called water splitting. 26 00:02:55,200 --> 00:03:03,840 Hydrogen fuel is the holy grail of energy source as it can be obtained from water and most importantly, does not leave any carbon footprint. 27 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:07,350 Currently, water splitting is done by using a platinum catalyst. 28 00:03:07,350 --> 00:03:20,450 But we have also been working on other methods to increase its efficiency and also branching out to use cheaper materials as catalysts. 29 00:03:20,450 --> 00:03:25,370 So I believe this research is solid, Catalyst will drive us towards a greener future, 30 00:03:25,370 --> 00:03:30,080 firstly by conserving our limited supply of fossil fuels and secondly, 31 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:35,840 by creating alternative sources of clean energy, although these solid catalysts can be expensive. 32 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:49,120 It is a cost worth paying.