Expert in the search for technical solutions to accelerate the energy transition, the jury of the ACES Award (Association of Spanish Scientists in Sweden) – Margarita Salas Foundation, for Spanish researchers who work in other countries, has recognized in its fourth edition and in the category of Physics, Mathematics and Engineering, Scientific Excellence and the Trajectory of Beatriz Roldán. Asturiana and graduated from the University of Oviedo, his doctoral studies took him to Germany, from there to the United States and return to Berlin, where he directs the Department of Interfacial Science of the Fritz Haber Institute. Its curriculum covers, in addition to its contribution to the increase in knowledge about catalytic nanomaterials, advice to different governments and research centers, participation in mentoring programs for young researchers and belonging to institutions such as the National Academy of Sciences of Germany Leopoldina, the oldest academy of sciences in the world that exists continuously.
What is your specialty?
Summarizing a little, in finding out how some materials that are called catalysts that allow us to need less energy for a chemical reaction to work and be faster and more selective. In particular, if they stop working. It is necessary to know why they degrade to make lasting materials. If we want to make green chemistry, we need to choose products that do not generate waste, that we can regenerate and recycle. For any industrial application of a material we have to know everything about it, each atom of those materials at all scales.
Is that basic research?
Yes. In the Fritz Haber Institute, where I work, we do fundamental research, Curiosity Discovery, investigating out of curiosity is said. There are no applications without basic research. That knowledge generated in the laboratory is transferred to the industry. In fact, we collaborate with companies and I can see what things I have done are already applying them.
What does the expression ‘liquid sun that usually use?
It is, with solar energy, generate clean electricity and with it to do catalytic processes to produce green hydrogen. That we can transport, use in the form of direct energy or, from it, make ammonia or methanol, green. All of them are molecules that we can store and transport in a liquid state, hence the ‘liquid sun’.
Can it be applied now?
The immediate application is when it is economically viable, but technology is now available. Spain is the country of Europe with more photovoltable potential. And that green electricity, combined with the derivative “liquid sun” could help us reduce emissions to electrify transport. The transition requires starting with the sectors that makes more sense to change before and that is the one that first would have to address Spain because it is where we have more emissions. There is a lot of interest and very good work is being done in this area of electrocatalysis and catalysis. It would be a very big change.
This development of materials and technologies, to what extent can Europe in their objective of energy autonomy and resources be useful?
They can mean a clear contribution to these European objectives, yes. It is important to develop materials that are based on abundant elements on Earth, including Europe, to have access to them and not depend on scarce elements that can also be in war countries or not have access for different reasons.
You have advised, and advise, to different governments. What is the role of science in the energy transition?
A scientist can say the available technology, contribute the knowledge we have, what we know that works and that can be climbed. But politicians decide the actions and have to listen and be aware that the energy transition is not done in the time that a government lasts, nor in what lasts a legislature or two. In no country. It is a long -term objective, of state and must continue to investigate. Because all the research we do now will give us the technologies that we will use in the future. Notice, about the fundamental research we were talking about, there are research results that we address thinking that something will come out and then something more interesting comes out, or sometimes we immediately know that they will have an impact and others that do not. That is the beautiful thing about science and that knowledge we generate is very important, although we do not know when it will be used. For example, electrocatalytic processes technologies to produce green hydrogen were invented in 1780. But they were not used because, as we had coal and oil, nor interested, nor was it necessary. Now, at the time we started realizing the effects of using fossil fuels, we started saying, ‘there is a technology, yes, we had it.’ If that had not been developed in 1780, we would not have them now. And it is necessary to make that change because we have the effects of climate change on top and we have to paradosilize society.
His candidacy for the Aces-Margarita Salas award departed from an organization of Spanish scientists abroad. What did it mean for you?
One of the most beautiful things is that someone, without knowing you a lot personally, uses their time, that no one remunerates, to prepare a nomination of a partner for a prize like this, to enhance science and Spanish scientists abroad. And I am tremendously grateful to those of the German group, -because in each country there is an organization of Spanish scientists -that my work seemed interesting and proposed to the Sweden group that organized a symposium around me and my prize. That has been something like probono.
These awards give visibility to a very large group of high -level Spanish scientists who are working in public and private institutions worldwide.
What is utility do you think that visibility has?
On the one hand, examples are needed for children and young people now. There are athletes, singers who come out a lot in the news, but what examples of scientists have the new generations, who are going to solve the problems of the future? On the other, at the time we are given that visibility I have noticed, it has happened to me, that I have had many more applications of Spanish scientists who want to come to work in my institute. They come form with me and return to Spain to return that knowledge they have learned. It is a very positive thing. Since I am in Germany I have been training many Spanish scientists who want to have a stay abroad and then return and are in universities and in research centers. It is a pride and I have many connections with people that I formed and who are now back in Spain.
In the awards ceremony, which was at the Embassy of Spain in Stockholm, the ambassador spoke of the “scientific diplomacy”, what does that expression refer to?
That we can also help the geopolitical system establishing connections with the different countries. If I am advising the Government of Germany and comes a scientist from Great Britain who is advising yours, we can agree, have a common scientific policy and extend it to all countries. It would be very positive. More than trying to do the same based on small policies at the level of each country and sometimes they can be contradictory.