On May 5th, 2021, Dr Federico Dattila, post-doctoral researcher at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) in the group of Professor Núria López, took to the airwaves to discuss his research and work on the FlowPhotoChem project for the radio programme 'Ones de Ciència' on Radio Cambrils.
Ones de Ciència is a bi-monthly radio podcast highlighting the stories of researchers who work in Camp de Tarragona (Catalonia), with special sections dedicated to female researchers, science and society. Organized and presented by Lydia Gil, Maria Ferrer, and Núria Ruiz, Ones de Ciència started in September 2019 on the initiative of DivulgaTarragona, and in 2020 it was awarded the local communication prize “Best Radio Program in Catalonia”. Each chapter starts with a live conversation with a local researcher, with both professional and personal topics discussed. The episode in which Federico featured is Capítol 27. Química sostenible (click to listen to the audio available in Catalan / Spanish here). Interviewed by Lydia Gil and Maria Ferrer, Federico reviewed the challenges and opportunities of electrochemical CO2 reduction for addressing climate change.
Presently, this chemical process is investigated as a sustainable means to reduce the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide by converting this molecule into useful chemicals, such as ethylene, ethanol, and carbon monoxide. Whilst natural photosynthesis required billions of years to make up the fossil reserves which we are currently exploiting, electrochemistry can produce similar fuels using renewable energy, water and CO2. Federico highlighted the key role of fundamental studies to unveil the complexity behind this technology, which is nevertheless already implemented in pilot plans. Finally, he mentioned the importance of diversity within the research environment, which is a crucial ingredient for the co-creation of effective solutions to the threats of climate change and global warming. Diversity is a clear fingerprint of FlowPhotoChem, which accounts for 14 partners between Europe and Africa, with different nationalities, genders, and career stages.
Finally, a great thanks to Lydia, Maria and Núria for giving Federico this nice opportunity to broadcast the research we are performing within FlowPhotoChem. Besides, thanks to Adrià Muñoz y Marga Mallol from Ràdio Cambrils for hosting the episode!
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