Sustainable Materials for a Carbon-Neutral Energy Future

Santanu Patra is research scientist at the Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark. He works in the field of materials chemistry, specializing in the integration of functional materials with macro-, micro-, and nano systems. His current research focuses on multifaceted nanotechnological approaches for novel sensing and energy harvesting technologies for healthcare applications.Mika Sillanpää is a professor at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. His research centers on chemical treatment in environmental engineering, environmental monitoring, and resource recovery from waste streams.Sillanpää received his M.Sc. (Eng.) and D.Sc. (Eng.) degrees from the Aalto University where he also completed an MBA degree in 2013. Since 2000, he has been a full professor/adjunct professor at the University of Oulu, the University of Eastern Finland, the LUT University, the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Johannesburg.He has received numerous awards for research and innovation. He is the first Laureate of Scientific Committee on the Problems of the Environment (SCOPE)’s Young Investigator Award, which was delivered at the UNESCO Conference in Shanghai 2010 for his “significant contributions, outstanding achievements and research leadership in Environmental Technological Innovations to address present water pollution problems worldwide, especially with regard to wastewater treatment and reuse”. In 2011, he was invited to act as a Principal Scientific Reviewer in the GEO-5 report of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). In 2012, he received Tapani Järvinen Environmental Technology Award and Publication Award of the Lappeenranta University of Technology. In 2014, he received the Science Award of the Lappeenranta University of Technology and Pro Mikkeli Award. In 2018, he was invited as a Member of the Finnish Academy of Sciences and Letters and Technology Academy of Finland. He also received Literature award from the Water Association of Finland in 2018.

• SECTION I: Introduction to carbon neutrality and sustainability1. Sustainable materials for a carbon-neutral energy futureSECTION II: Applications in renewable energy systems2. Thermoelectric materials and technologies toward carbon neutrality3. Advanced battery materials and technologies for sustainable and carbon-neutral hybrid energy storage4. Supercapacitor materials and technologies toward carbon neutrality5. Fuel cell materials and technologies toward carbon neutrality6. Carbon neutrality in hydrogen energy7. Energy harvesting materials and technologies toward carbon neutralitySECTION III: Environmental and economic considerations, challenges, future perspectives, and conclusion8. Environmental benefits, economic viability, and life cycle assessment of energy materials for carbon neutrality9. Recycling lithium-ion batteries: Promoting sustainability in the transition to green energy10. Solar photovoltaic systems’ smart and data-driven predictive maintenance toward carbon neutrality and economic efficiency11. Carbon neutrality in the energy sector: Conclusion and call to action