Course Description
This course creates an understanding of the economic, societal and ecological benefits and challenges associated with different forms of renewable energy and in particular of biofuels. You will learn the scientific principles and concepts which drive the renewable energy and biofuels field towards the realization of a sustainable, clean energy economy. Learners will be able to contrast currently used fossil fuels with biofuels and explore the scientific and technological aspects of the production of biofuels and of green energy technologies, including cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel, electrolysis and fuel cells. The course explores the impact of fossil fuel consumption on climate and society, introduces to carbon footprint analysis and explain the sustainability of renewable energy technologies.
Topics of this course include fossil fuels, energy, gases, biomass, enzymes for biofuels production, metabolic aspects of biofuels production, hydrogen from electrolysis, photosynthesis, algae and biofuels. Major focus will be on the biofuels bioethanol, biodiesel, biogas and biohydrogen and explains the science, raw materials, key components, and processes required.
Throughout the course, you will be able to apply what you learned by performing basic calculations with respect to energy conversions, gas production, enzyme kinetics, electrochemical equations, carbon footprint analysis, and reaction enthalpies. This course gives the learner a deep understanding of the key challenges and diverse pathways towards sustainable production of energy and fuels.
The content of the lectures will be presented as PDF slides and also as recorded lecture audio sessions. Each chapter has embedded practice sections which introduce the learner to basic calculations, manufacturing methods and/or analytical techniques relevant for the covered material.
After completion of each lecture session, the learner will be asked to complete a quiz for self-evaluation of the understanding of the covered lecture material and the learning progress.
This course is suitable for anyone interested in developing a better understanding of the science behind renewables and biofuels. This course is for anyone considering a future career in the renewable energy and biofuels field, for anyone who might be new to the green workforce or who is switching industries. Upon completion of this course, you will have improved your ability to create a career roadmap and to develop a pathway towards a new career in the renewable energy and biofuels field.
Welcome and thank you for your interest in this course.
Why a course in renewable energy?
Because ...
Mankind's current use of energy and reliance on fossil fuels for generation of electricity and transportation is unsustainable, it disturbs the global carbon cycle and bears hard to predict risks on human health and on the health of planet Earth.
Because ...
A growing Earth population needs more electricity and fuels. According to projections released by the United Nations, there will be about 8.5 billion humans on Earth by 2030, that is 787 million more than in 2019.
Because ...
There is an urgency and need not only for more, but more importantly cleaner forms of electricity and transportation fuels.
Just some numbers to consider. In 2018, the worldwide electricity consumption was approximately 23,398 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) or 23,398 terawatt hours, with China being the world’s largest consumer of electricity, followed by the United States. In 2019, the total annual consumption of electricity in the U.S. was 3,811 billion kWh with the commercial and industrial sector consuming 62% of this amount. Introduction of more electric vehicles into the transportation sector and the rapid growth and expansion of the information and computer technology (ICT) sector will increase global electricity demand. In 2014, the electricity consumed by 113 U.S. ICT companies was more than 59 billion kWh (59 million MWh), which represented 1.56% of the total U.S. electricity consumption of 3,764 billion kWh in that year. In 2020, there were nearly 510,000 data centers operating worldwide and the 24/7 operation of the internet consumed about 70 billion kWh a year. In 2020, there were about 8.9 billion cell phones and other mobile devices in operation worldwide, each consuming on average about 2 kWh in electricity per year.
Because ...
Currently most of the electricity we consume comes from burning of carbon-emitting fossil fuels.
Consider this. In 2020, 25% (E.U.), 56% (U.S.), 67% (China) and 74% (India) of the electricity produced came from burning of fossil fuels, most namely coal and natural gas. On a global scale, both fuels release massive amounts of the green house gases carbon dioxide, NOx and other noxious gases into the atmosphere. Meaning, that any e-car driven, any computer or server operated and any cell phone used today significantly contributes to carbon emissions, even though in a less obvious way.
Because ...
Currently most vehicles used for transportation combust carbon-emitting fossil fuels, most namely gasoline, diesel, natural gas and kerosene.
In 2010, there were about 250 million vehicles registered and operating in the U.S. alone (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) and worldwide 1.46 billion cars were in operation in 2020. The majority of those vehicles are burning fossil fuels, most namely gasoline, diesel and natural gas. Currently most cars, trucks, ships, and planes are operated by burning carbonaceous fossil fuels which release emissions that are harmful to the environment and to human health, most namely the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2), NOx and soot. The recent introduction of electric vehicles (e-cars) into the market is supposed to lower the carbon emissions of the transportation sector. But considering that in most countries more than 60% of the electricity is produced through burning of fossil fuels, use of this “grey electricity” to charge the e-cars is not a clean and sustainable solution. In some European countries car owners have the choice to charge their cars with “green electrons”, i.e. electricity generated with renewable forms of energy. But even in those countries most of the electricity used to charge those e-cars still is a mixture of “green electrons” and electricity generated from burning of fossil fuels. In Germany, about 50% of the electricity of the country's electrical grid is generated through renewable forms of energy (Ökostrom), most namely solar energy, wind power and biogas. Electricity consumers in this country also have the choice to feed 100% green electricity into their homes if they wish to do so.
Because ...
The ongoing use of fossil fuels by mankind has begun to show negative effects not only on the environment but also increasingly on human health. Traffic related air pollutants (TRAP), most namely black carbon (soot), nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, sulfur dioxide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and particulate matter (PM), are increasingly identified by science to cause oxidative stress and to be responsible for the rising numbers of humans suffering from asthma, respiratory disease, allergies and certain forms of cancer.
Because ...
Globally, the share of renewables in the generation of electricity has increased from 27% in 2019 to 29% in 2020, the biggest annual increase on record (IEA). This trend means that the demand for “green collar” workers will increase and this trend will demand a different knowledge base and new skill sets of the workforce of tomorrow.
As a deeply concerned educator who has taught courses in biology, microbiology, biochemistry and biofuels in higher education for more than 20 years, I firmly believe that the willingness to change comes with a deeper and broader understanding of the issues and with increased scientific knowledge not only of the specialists in the field, but of everyone on this planet we call home.
“We have been consuming too much, saving too little, studying too laxly, and investing not nearly enough. And our political institutions are also the institutions we have to overcome. […]. Have no doubts. The era we have entered is one of enormous social, political and economic change – driven in part by the Market and in part by Mother Nature. If we want things to stay as they are – that is, if we want to maintain our technological, economic, and moral leadership and a habitable planet, rich with flora and fauna [ … ], and human communities that can grow in a sustainable way – things will have to change around here, and fast.”
T.L. Friedman in “Hot, Flat and Crowded” (Picador 2009).
Course Objectives
Humans, Carbon & Consequences
This course has been developed to create a better understanding of the discussion about fossil fuel consumption, carbon emissions, carbon footprints, climate change and the resulting costs to the environment and human health.
This course will explain the science-based rational why mankind has to develop renewable forms of energy and biofuels and must venture away from our current reliance and consumption of fossil fuels.
The rational is hinged on simple, easy to understand science facts.
- Fossil fuels are made up of carbon
- Fossil fuels are a finite form of energy, i.e. they will not last forever
- Burning of fossil fuels releases old, deposited carbon in the form of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
- Carbon dioxide is a green house gas (GHG) and absorbs infrared light, aka heat
We humans have emitted and continue to release a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In 2019 it was 33 billion tons (33 Gt). Compared to the amount of CO2 already in Earth’s atmosphere (which was about 750 billion tons in 2020), the global anthropogenic carbon emissions are significant.
Human carbon emissions have led to an undeniable, measurable increase in atmospheric CO2. It is fair to reason that continued use and burning of fossil fuels of a rapidly growing human population will unavoidably lead to an increase of the GHG carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It would be foolish to assume that continued collective emissions of billions of tons of the green house carbon dioxide by humans is going to be without impact on Earth’s carbon cycle and climate system.
An impact which can be felt, seen and measured all over the globe. Climate change which has been slowly building up over the past decades is now felt and visible in any corner on Earth. We finally may have reached the (what I call) the “carbon spill over point” on Earth. Climate change has started to show consequences on Earth’s biomes and on human health. And those visible consequences have been coming our way for some time now. At increasingly painful costs, not only to the economy, but more concerningly to plant, animal and human life.
Here are some concerning numbers to consider. The damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 in the U.S. alone, was with more than $60 billion the most expensive natural catastrophe to date. In 2020, there were 22 separate billion dollar damage reports filed in the United States alone. All of those reports were associated with weather and climate disasters. Those 22 climate-connected disasters, which broke the previous annual damage record of 16 events occurring in 2011 and 2017, cost the U.S. a combined $95 billion in damages. This number was nearly double the costs caused by climate caused damages in 2019. The record billion dollar damages of the year of 2020 were caused by 7 tropical hurricanes, 13 severe storms, one draught event, and one large scale wildfire event. The overall damages caused by climate change-related events in Asia totaled $67 billion in 2020, with only $3 billion of the damages covered by insurances. Worldwide, in 2020, a record number of hurricanes, cyclones, tropical storms, erratic weather patterns, draughts, wildfires and floods caused $210 billion in insured damages to human properties. The six costliest climate disasters of 2020 happened in the United States, with Hurricane Laura causing $13 billion in damages alone after hitting the state of Louisiana in August of that year. According to Ernst Rauch, geoscientist and chief climatologist at the international insurance agency Muenchener Rueckversicherungs-Gesellschaft AG (Munich Re), "heavy damages caused by thunderstorms with extreme rainfall or flash flooding have significantly increased over the last decades".
In this course you will learn how to perform basic calculations with respect to carbon emissions and how to do carbon footprint analysis. You will learn how to better understand and evaluate your personal contribution to carbon emissions by performing basic carbon footprint calculations. This learned skill will help you to contrast and compare your personal contribution(s) to the global emissions of the invisible green house gas carbon dioxide.
Carbon Footprint & Me
Assuming you are one of those privileged world citizens able to finance and allowed to operate a car running with an internal combustion engine. How much carbon dioxide do you think you are releasing into the atmosphere in one year just by driving your car? You will be surprised. Assuming your car operates with an internal combustion engine (an assumption which is fair to say in 2020) and assuming that you drive about 12,000 miles in one year (a reasonable number) with an average gasoline consumption of about 30 miles per gallon (a fair number these days unless you are driving a Lincoln Escalade, Hummer, RAM-3500 or a Ford F-350 Super duty truck) your car will release 3.28 tons of the green house CO2 into the atmosphere in that year. Now consider the following. In 2020, there were about 280 million vehicles, i.e. cars, trucks, buses, etc., operating in the United States alone (Source: www.statista.com). Let’s assume that all those were driving 12,000 miles a year (a fair number) and consumed about 30 miles per gallon of gasoline, those vehicles emitted about 920 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in one year! This amount is almost 3% of the annual global carbon emissions.
Now, let’s assume you are an even more privileged person who is the owner and operator of a private jet. How much carbon dioxide are you releasing into the atmosphere from just one flight? Well, let’s assume you own a Bombardier Global 6000, a private jet which carries 6,560 gal of the fossil fuel kerosene before take-off. Assuming that all kerosene is burned during a trans-Atlantic flight from New York to Paris your private jet will have released about 62,500 kg (or 62.5 tons) of CO2 into the atmosphere. Now let’s assume there were 13 passengers on the jet (including the crew of 3), the carbon footprint per person on the jet for this one trans-Atlantic flight would be 4,807 kg (4.8 tons).
Convinced to rather take a ride on a modern high speed train to your next destination? Let’s assume you want to take the French high speed rail TGV to travel the 383 miles from Los Angeles to San Francisco (a scenario which of course does not exist). We know that the TGV train traveling at an average speed of 199 mph (about 300 km/h) consumes about 32 kWh in electricity for every mile driven (or 20 kWh/km). This means that the train will consume 12,256 kWh in electricity for the 383-mile-long journey. Assuming that (in the U.S.) about 20% of the electricity is generated from burning of the fossil fuel coal in coal-fired power plants (about 40% is from natural gas), how much carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere due to the operation of the high speed train? As we run this number we take into account that a modern coal-fired power plant emits about 0.915 kg of CO2 for every kWh produced. That means, that the high speed train operation for the 383 mile journey (indirectly though) will be responsible for a total of 11.2 tons of carbon dioxide. Those very basic calculations do of course not consider carbon emissions due to transport of travelers to the rail road station, extraction and transportation of the coal, building the rail infrastructure, etc. Now assuming that there were 250 passengers on the train (a fair number considering the train’s capacity of 500), the carbon footprint per person on the train would be about 44.8 kg. For comparison, if you would have decided to take your car (with a fuel consumption of 30mpg) instead of the train to drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco, your personal carbon footprint for this trip would be about 104 kg.
Here is yet another interesting number to think about. We all like to fly to our next vacation destination or have to fly to our next business meeting on this planet. Curious about your carbon footprint as you get ready for your next flight? Let’s assume you take a flight on a Boing 777-300, a quite large passenger airplane which carries 45,220 gal of the fossil fuel kerosene before take-off. Let's assume you take a flight from New York to Berlin. Assuming that all of this kerosene is combusted during this trans-Atlantic flight and that the plane is carrying 350 people (passengers and crew), by the time the plane lands in Berlin it will have released about 430,670 kg (430 tons) of CO2 into the atmosphere. This means that your personal carbon footprint for this 6,380 km (or 3,965 miles) long flight was 1.23 tons, or 37.5% of your annual carbon footprint for your car.
Since we have entered the era of private space exploration, with more and more private rockets launched these days, let us have a look at the carbon footprint of one rocket launch into space. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is filled with 29,600 gal of the rocket propellant RP-1 (which is highly refined kerosene). Assuming that all the RP-1 fuel is burned during a launch (carrying 4 astronauts), this rocket launch will emit about 282,000 kg (282 tons) of CO2 into the atmosphere. That is 86 times more carbon dioxide compared to the amount of CO2 released by driving one car for one whole year.
If those numbers raised your curiosity, in this course you will learn how to calculate basic carbon footprints and perform other calculations with relevance for the ongoing carbon emissions and climate discussion.
The goal of this course is to develop a deep, science founded understanding for the rational of “why mankind needs renewable forms of energy and biofuels” to avoid a looming climate disaster caused by fossil fuel consumption.
More than 150 years of use and consumption of fossil fuels by mankind has started to show visible and measurable negative effects on Earth’s biomes, the planet's climate system and on human health.
What can be done?
The concept of renewable energy & biofuels
One of the solutions to respond to the looming climate crisis and to abate the negative impact of fossil fuel use on human health and Earth’s biomes, is the development and implementation of renewable, carbon neutral, economically viable and ecologically benign alternatives to fossil fuels. A path forward is to apply science, i.e. to learn from the evolutionary old, time-proven energy concepts of microbial life forms, and use best engineering techniques to utilize Earth's abundant, regrowable resources to generate power and to produce fuels in a sustainable manner. This is where the concept of renewable energy and biofuels comes in. Worldwide, scientists and engineers have explored alternative concepts of energy production for some time now and developed some biofuels to commercial scale, most namely bioethanol and biodiesel. Biofuels are defined as fuels produced from renewable biological raw materials. Global use of biofuels has increased 5-times between 2001 and 2011. The importance of biofuels and renewable energy is expected to increase even further over the next decades. In 2020, the U.S., currently the world largest producer of biofuels, accounted for 48% of global biofuels production.
In this course you will learn about the basic concept of energy, photosynthesis, renewable biomass, green hydrogen from water electrolysis, microorganisms with high relevance for biofuels production and biofuel production processes. Upon completion of this course you will be able to differentiate and contrast the chemical and physical properties of fossil fuels from biofuels.
Why renewables and biofuels make sense
The Coming Green Economy
The importance of biofuels and renewable energy is expected to increase further over the next decades. In 2020, the U.S., currently the world largest producer of biofuels, accounted for 48% of global biofuels production. Those biofuels started not only to improve the national carbon footprint, but they also helped to lower the dependence on foreign oil and to increase national energy security. In addition, and due to the diverse nature of biofuels, the biofuels industry has started (and will continue) to create "green collar" jobs and to provide career opportunities for a vast array of workers with different and new skill sets. According to a 2012 Renewable Fuels Association study, there were 401,600 jobs in the bioethanol industry in the U.S. alone. A 2011 survey conducted by the U.S. National Biodiesel Board found that there were 39,027 people employed in the (relatively new) U.S. biodiesel industry, producing about 1 billion gallons of biodiesel. The biofuels industry and renewable energy sector are expected to create new jobs and tasks ranging from improving existing and developing new biofuel and energy technologies, growing crops, farming algae, and processing and selling the fuels. The renewable energy sector and biofuels field will need scientists dedicated and knowledgeable to conduct research and development. It will need new generations of engineers, technicians and workers able to update existing infrastructure and to design and build algae farms, novel biofuels plants and electrolyzers as well as fuel cell systems. It will further create job opportunities for agricultural workers able to grow and harvest renewable feedstocks, plant operators with a deep understanding of science and technology needed to process the renewable feedstocks into biofuel and lastly a highly trained sales force marketing and selling the biofuel products into the green economy of tomorrow.
If you want to understand the science behind the transformation of society towards green energy and biofuels, then this course is for you!
If you carry the aspiration to be part of the solution rather than continue to be part of the problem and to become a "green citizen", then this course is for you!
The objective of this course is to increase the learner’s awareness of the importance of renewable energy use and to expand the knowledge of the rational and concept of using renewables for energy production.
First Section
Lecture 1 – Why Renewable Energy?
- 1.5 hours to complete
- 49 Lecture slides (PDF)
- 1 Recorded audio session (Total 80 min)
- 1 Quiz (8 Questions)
The course starts by introducing the concept of renewable energy. You will be learning about the current forms of energy and fuels used by mankind for transportation, electricity and fertilizer production and the impact they have on climate, water resources, global chemical cycles and human health.
Assignments for this lecture are: Study the posted PDF lecture slides, listen to the recorded lecture audio and answer the questions of Quiz 1.
Lecture 2 – Energy
- 2.5 hours to complete
- 63 Lecture slides (PDF)
- 1 Recorded audio session (Total 120 min)
- 1 Quiz (14 Questions)
This chapter introduces the student to the concept of energy. It covers the different types of energy, the laws governing generation and conversion of energy (thermodynamics), the concept of enthalpy and enthalpy changes, calorimetry, bond energies and enthalpies of the combustion of fossil fuels.
Assignments for this lecture are: Study the PDF lecture slides, listen to the recorded lecture audio and answer the questions of Quiz 2.
Second Section
Lecture 3 – Fossil Fuels
- 2.5 hours to complete
- 43 Lecture slides (PDF)
- 1 Recorded audio session (Total 110 min)
- 1 Quiz (15 Questions)
This lecture has a brief look at fossil fuels. The student will learn about the different types of fossil fuels, i.e., coal, natural gas and petroleum oil, their properties, their origin, processing technologies, abundance, current uses by mankind and their impact on human health and the environment.
Assignments for this lecture are: Study the PDF lecture slides, listen to the recorded lecture audio and answer the questions of Quiz 3.
Lecture 4 – Gases
- 2.5 hours to complete
- 58 Lecture slides (PDF)
- 1 Recorded audio session (Total 140 min)
- 1 Quiz (14 Questions)
This part of the course focuses on gases with special focus on hydrogen gas and methane. This chapter covers the properties of gases, the gas laws, the combined gas law and Dalton’s law. This chapter also introduces the student to the kinetic molecular theory of gases, the ideal gas law, and learn how to determine the molar mass of a gas and its density. The last section of this chapter will explore the properties, origin and impact of different greenhouse gases on the environment and on human health.
Assignments for this lecture are: Study the PDF lecture slides, listen to the recorded lecture audio and answer the questions of Quiz 4.
Third Section
Lecture 5 – Biomass
- 4.0 hours to complete
- 79 Lecture slides (PDF)
- 1 Recorded audio session (Total 3.5 hours)
- 1 Quiz (17 Questions)
This lecture examines the key components and chemical structures of renewable biomass. It covers the chemical properties of carbon, the chemical structures and properties of carbon-based compounds, including carbohydrates (monosaccharides, polysaccharides), lipids, alcohols, amino acids and proteins. The last section of this chapter will explore the biological production of biomass, biomass composition, the energy content of biomass, biomass fossilization and degradation.
Assignments for this lecture are: Study the contents of the PDF lecture slides, listen to the recorded lecture audio and answer the questions of Quiz 5.
Lecture 6 – Enzymes
- 3.0 hours to complete
- 63 Lecture slides (PDF)
- 1 Recorded audio session (Total 2.5 hours)
- 1 Quiz (16 Questions)
This lecture examines the components, structures and properties of biological catalysts called enzymes. It covers the following key topics: Active sites of enzymes, enzyme specificity, catalytic cycle, types of enzymes, enzyme activity, types of enzyme inhibition and regulation. The last section of this lecture will explore enzyme classification and enzymes relevant for the biofuels industry.
Assignments for this lecture are: Study the contents of the PDF lecture slides, listen to the recorded lecture audio and answer the questions of Quiz 6.
Fourth Section
Lecture 7 – Metabolic Aspects
- 4.0 hours to complete
- 87 Lecture slides (PDF)
- 2 Recorded audio sessions (Total 4.7 hours)
- 1 Quiz (20 Questions)
This lecture explores the metabolic pathways with importance for biofuels production, its key enzymes, components, chemical reactions and products. Special focus will be on glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, Entner-Doudoroff pathway, Xylose fermentation, mixed acid fermentation, Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, biohydrogen production, methanogenesis, fatty acid and triacylglyceride (fat) synthesis and algae oils.
Assignments for this lecture are: Study the contents of the PDF lecture slides, listen to the recorded lecture audio and answer the questions of Quiz 7.
Lecture 8 – Electrolysis
- 3.5 hours to complete
- 55 Lecture slides (PDF)
- 2 Recorded audio sessions (Total 3.0 hours)
- 1 Quiz (16 Questions)
This lecture explores the principle, components and products of water electrolysis, an electrochemical process with great potential for renewable production of hydrogen gas. It covers the following key topics: Concept of electrolysis, standard reduction potential, electrochemical events of water electrolysis, components of an electrolytic cell (electrolyzer), Nernst equation and thermodynamics of electrolysis. The last section of this chapter explores the structural components (electrodes, separators, electrolytes), different types of water electrolyzer cells and discusses the potential of novel water hydrolysis concepts (artificial photosynthesis) and nano solar cells for future hydrogen production.
Assignments for this lecture are: Study the contents of the PDF lecture slides, listen to the recorded lecture audio and answer the questions of Quiz 8.
Fifth Section
Lecture 9 – Algae
- 3.1 hours to complete
- 71 Lecture slides (PDF)
- 3 Recorded audio sessions (Total 140 min)
- 1 Quiz (23 Questions)
This lecture explores the structures, components and biochemical processes of photosynthesis with special focus on the importance of this biological process for the growth of microalgae for renewable energy production. This lecture covers the key topics: Chloroplasts, nature of light, photosynthesis pigments, key events of photosynthesis (light and dark reaction), photosynthesis products, photosynthesis productivity, photorespiration, and different biological carbon fixation strategies (C3, C4 and CAM plants). This chapter also explores the morphological diversity of algae, algae with relevance for the biofuels field, algae cultivation strategies as well as algae products and productivity.
Assignments for this lecture are: Study the contents of the PDF lecture slides, listen to the recorded lecture audio and answer the questions of Quiz 9.
Lecture 10 – Biofuels
- 4.0 hours to complete
- 100 Lecture slides (PDF)
- 2 Recorded audio sessions (Total 170 min)
- 1 Quiz (17 Questions)
The last lecture of the course covers the key aspects of industrial production of biofuels, including raw materials, properties, manufacturing processes, commercial use and waste products. Primary focus will be on bioethanol, biodiesel, algae oils, biohydrogen and biogas.
Assignments for this lecture are: Study the contents of the PDF lecture slides, listen to the recorded lecture audio and answer the questions of Quiz 10.
Your Instructor
Elmar Schmid, Ph.D.
Your course instructor holds a doctorate degree in biochemical pharmacology and has a draftsman certificate in mechanical engineering. He is a former researcher, business entrepreneur and educator with more than 20 years of educational experience at the college and university level. He currently teaches microbiology, organic chemistry, biology and biochemistry. He has 15 years of biological research experience in academia and governmental research institutions, i.e. The Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, CA) and German Cancer Research Center (Heidelberg, Germany), where he conducted scientific studies in the field of cell biology, immunochemistry, antioxidants and enzyme regulation. Most of the scientific work has been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, including FASEB J., J. Biol. Chem. and Mol. Pharmacology. Dr. Schmid developed and pioneer taught a college-level biofuels course as part of a regional workforce development program. He was the cofounder of a biohydrogen startup and of an algae company where he oversaw the research and development program as chief science officer.
Instructor's Message
It is my utmost wish that you will have a great, knowledge expanding experience with this course and that you will find information helpful for your personal and/or professional growth. Have a great time exploring and studying this course topic!
