Science and technology have always been driven by the need to solve problems, and as the world's problems grow bigger, potential solutions are coming from the realm of the super small.
The field of nanotechnology may seem removed from everyday challenges like electricity and water supply, but this hi-tech domain is being used to address very practical needs. Energy, a growing concern the world over, is one of them.
The recent fears over oil supply, as well as the impacts of climate change, have made finding alternative sources of cost-effective, sustainable energy a global priority. Locally, electricity price hikes and warnings of an ever-growing supply-demand gap have had a similar impact. At a recent roundtable in Sandton, scientific and industry experts discussed why nanotechnology could be the enabling factor needed to develop current and future energy solutions.
Professor Neil Coville, from the school of chemistry at Wits, said the essence of nanotechnology is “that small things can create enormous amounts of energy”.
He explained that nanotechnology involves studying how size relates to a material's property - as its size changes, so its properties change. This permits an understanding of properties at a new level. Working with objects at the nano scale (where 1nm is a billionth of a metre, and objects studied have one dimension of less than 100nm), has unlocked these properties' powerful capabilities.
Breakthroughs couldn't have come sooner. Coville pointed to a list by Nobel Prize-winning scientist, Richard Smalley, outlining humanity's top 10 problems for the next 50 years. Top of the list is energy - an area where nanotechnology shows great promise. “If you can solve energy issues, you can solve a lot of the issues of people not having enough,” said Coville.
With the global population expected to swell to between eight billion and 10 billion by 2050, future energy use is set to double by the same year, he noted.
In addition, said Coville, the reliance on fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas - which account for 85% global energy supply - is not sustainable, with estimates that fossil fuels will only last another 200 to 300 years.
This has left governments and industries scrambling for alternative, sustainable sources of energy. But many say the answer is clear, literally hitting us in the face everyday.
Sun sense
“Solar is the way to go,” said Coville, adding there's no other option for the world and for SA. Given 165 000TW (a terawatt is equal to 1 000GW) of sunlight hits the earth every day, and predictions peg global use at 43 TW by 2100, using the sun's heat as a primary source of energy will be enough to sustain any kind of growth, he pointed out.
“No country has a policy against economic growth and you need energy to supply a country with what it needs.”
But while the sun pours out plenty of radiant energy, the problem comes in collecting, converting, and storing that energy so it can be utilised effectively on a mass scale. There are many approaches to this, such as various types of photovoltaic (PV) cells and concentrating solar technologies.
At present, the cost of using these methods on a wide scale is too high relative to fossil fuels, Coville noted. “We have to bring it down, and that's where science and technology come in.”
He outlined the notion of a carbon toolkit - using 'bits and pieces' of carbon for making nano structures like spheres, fibres and tubes, and using the different shapes as nano materials to harness energy from sun.
Coville explained that like wool fibres are different colours and shapes, different shapes of carbon can be used as materials for converting solar energy into electricity more efficiently.
Materials could be used in PV cells, batteries, fuel cells, and fuel rods in nuclear materials, among others, he said.
Dr Anton Vosloo, portfolio executive of alternative energy at Sasol, echoed the fact that the sun is an underutilised energy source. He cited figures showing solar energy is 10 000 times more than global energy consumption. “You need 4% of the world's very dry areas to produce enough energy from the sun to provide the whole world's needs.”
However, for nanotechnology to really make a difference to the viability of alternative energy, it has to turn it into a bulk commodity, he stressed.
“Small things can create enormous amounts of energy.”
Professor Neil Coville, school of chemistry, Wits
There's a huge market for this, as 80% of the world's energy currently comes from non-renewable fossil fuels, said Vosloo, with less than 1% coming from renewable sources, like solar energy.
He noted that the use of fossil fuels could be constrained by the 'perfect storm' and the advent of the electron economy - the notion of depending on electricity rather than combustible fuels.
The reign of the finite fuels is fast drawing to an end, with predictions of peak oil levels being reached around 2017, and peak coal around 2050, said Vosloo. “We will get there; one time or another, it will come.”
Vosloo pointed to other factors influencing the 'perfect storm' for the demise of fossil fuels, including energy being used as a political tool; special tariffs for alternative energy; global warming and the role of CO2; and improvements in battery technology and the increased popularity of the electric car.
But he argued that while solar electricity from PV panels has great potential, large-scale application is prevented by cost and manufacturing techniques.
For this reason, Vosloo suggests using a mass-scale delivery method, such as roll-to-roll printing, which has higher material utilisation, faster throughput compared to glass, and uses 50% less energy in production.
“Nanotechnology's role is to reduce cost by creating new materials that increase efficiency.”
Way of the future
Dr Mkhulu Mathe, manager of energy and processes, Materials Science and Manufacturing, at the CSIR, stressed the need to use nanotechnology to tackle a variety of future problems.
“Innovation is the only authentic competitive advantage,” he said, arguing that new fields of science give humanity the potential to change the future continuously.
South Africa has drawn up a 10-year nanotechnology R&D plan, with research focused in areas such as water, energy, health and energy efficiency. In the latter field, technologies for conservation, production, conversion and storage are being developed, including viable alternatives to fossil fuels, such as solar PV, hydrogen and fuel cell technology.
Mathe pointed to nanotechnology's potential by quoting Renzo Tomellini, nanotechnology research director-general at the European Commission: “Nanotechnology is perceived as one of the key technologies of the 21st Century, with a potential to grow into a one trillion euro industry within a decade.”
While it's clearly riding the wave of the future, Coville noted that nanotechnology is simply continuing the process scientific exploration and innovation have followed throughout the ages.
“The future is here and it's no different from 100 years ago - we're solving problems.”
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