23 KJEMI 1 2025 In addition, Lu has done studies on dual-atom catalysts (DAC) which may further increase the selectivity of reaction products. Lu’s work is interdisciplinary crossing science topics like chemistry, material science, engineering, and environmental science. The thesis gives a deeper understanding of the electrochemical processes and mechanisms in catalytic CO₂ reduction, and especially the dual-atom catalysts seem to have a high potential both respect to the efficiency and the selectivity. His work is of great importance for the industry to make more efficient syntheses of different chemical products, and in addition a contribution to reuse CO₂ in a CCU perspective. The results seem also to have a high potential for upscaling the process giving commercial interests to the results. As a fun fact, I would mention that Niob is a seldom metal, only 24 ppm in the earth's crust. In Norway Norsk Hydro at Herøy produced around 400 metric tons/year which was 15-20% of the world production in the years 1953-1963. May be there could be a new potential here? Some words about the thesis: This year, it was 9 nominations for the Yara Birkeland prize. Many of the theses held a high quality and have published results which have a significant potential for further development to industrial products. The thesis to Song Lu consists of 7 papers which are published in high ranked international journals where Lu is first. author for all papers. One of the papers have already more than 30 citations, and four other papers have each more than 10 citations which is quite a good score. In his 3-years PhD period he has also reached to be author or co-author of 6 more papers, which show a high work capacity. I am pleased to say that Song Lu is a worthy winner of the Yara Birkeland Prize 2024, Song Lu. Congratulate! ● From left, Tor Hemmingsen – Chair of Yara Birkeland Prize Committee in Chemistry and professor at UiS, Song Lu – Prize winner and PhD at UiS, and Per Knudsen - VP Technology at Yara. Photo: Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi/DNVA, Thomas B. Eckhoff.
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