Thomas Maschmeyer - Energy
Professor Thomas Maschmeyer is an ARC Federation Fellow in the School of Chemistry at the University of Sydney. In 2007 he won the Academy of Science prize for being Australia’s leading chemist under 40.
Catalysis: a force for good
Professor Maschmeyer has a quest – to create a more sustainable world through advanced catalytic technology. He has made major breakthroughs in the design of catalytically active sites, and has been instrumental in transforming many laboratory projects into real-world applications via established sponsors and start-up companies.
Best described as a ‘technical chemist’, Maschmeyer perches somewhere between pure chemistry and chemical engineering. He measures success both by fundamental breakthroughs and by industrial application. He is particularly interested in sustainability, and is currently pursuing these projects:
- Generating hydrogen from water using sunlight. Positive spin-offs include reduction in climate change (no CO2), fresh water supply (desalination), and sustainable agriculture (non fossil-derived ammonia).
- Converting brown coal into a low sulphur liquid fuel and high-quality micronised char. This could potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power stations by up to 45 per cent, allowing Australia to cut its overall greenhouse emissions by about 15 per cent. The char could also be used for agricultural purposes, such as enriching Australia’s carbon poor soils, and facilitating biomass production for liquid transportation fuels.