Eby’obuhangwa nibibaho okwehinguririize obwire bwona—nikireebeka gye waakiteekateekaho, kwonka ni bangahi omuriitwe abarikukikora twatandika emotoka, twateeka eihuri, nari twateeka obujuma omu kishaka kyaitu?
Omuhangu omu by’obuhangwa Richard Kong atwire nateekateeka aha ku emibazi erikukora. Omu murimo gwe nk‘omuhi w‘obuhwezi omu kuteera akaari, nk‘oku arikukigamba, tarikukunda eby‘okugarukamu ebirikurugamu byonka, kureka n‘okumanya eby‘okugarukamu bisya.
Nk’omuhwezi wa Klarman omu bya Chemistry na Chemical Biology aha College of Arts and Sciences, Kong naakora aha kuhangaho ebikwato ebirikureetaho okuhinduka kw’eby’obuhangwa kuhika aha birugiremu ebirikwetengyesa, kuhangaho ebintu ebiine oburinzi nangwa n’eby’omuhendo, otwariiremu n’ebirikubaasa kugira eki byakora aha muntu. amagara. Orwakashatu.
“Eby’obuhangwa bingi nibibaho hatariho kuhwerwa,” Kong nikwo yaagizire, arikumanyisa okushohoza omuyaga gwa carbon dioxide emotoka zaaba nizotsya amajuta g’ebishaka. "Kwonka ebikorwa by'emibazi ebigumire kandi ebigumire tibirikubaho kyonka. Aha niho emibazi y'okuhindura ebintu erikwija omu nkora."
Kong na bagyenzi be bakakora ebikwato ebirikureetaho okuhabura oku barikwenda ngu bibeho. Nk’eky’okureeberaho, kaboni neebaasa kuhindurwa ebe formic acid, methanol, nari formaldehyde orikutoorana ekirungo ekihikire kandi okagyezaho embeera z’okugarukamu.
Okurugirira ahari Kyle Lancaster, Purofeesa w’eby’obuhangwa n’eby’obuhangwa (A&S) kandi omutegyeki wa Kong, enkora ya Kong neehikaana gye n’enkora “erikwebemberwa okuzoora” ey’omu laboratorio ya Lancaster. “Richard akaba aine ekiteekateeko ky’okukozesa etini kutunguura eby’obuhangwa bye, ekyabaire kitakabahoga omu script yangye,” Lancaster nikwo arikugira. “Aine ekintu ekirikubaasa kuhindura omu muringo gw’okutooranamu omuyaga ogurikwetwa carbon dioxide, ogurikugambwaho munonga omu mpapura z’amakuru, guhinduke ekintu ky’omuhendo munonga.”
Kong n’abarikukora nawe juba bakazoora enkora erikubaasa kuhindura omuyaga ogurikwetwa carbon dioxide kuba formic acid, omu mbeera ezimwe.
“N’obu turaabe tutakahikire aha murembe gw’okugarukamu, enkora yaitu neebaasa kuhindurwa munonga,” Kong nikwo arikugira. "Omu muringo ogu, turabaasa kutandika kwetegyereza munonga ahabwenki ebimwe ebirikukora juba kukira ebindi, ahabwenki ebimwe ebirikukora juba biri birungi omu buhangwa. Turabaasa kuhindura omu nkora y'ebintu ebi kandi tugyezeho kwetegyereza ekirikureetera ebintu ebi kukora juba, ahabw'okuba oku birakora juba, nikwo birakora gye, nikwo orabaasa kuhanga molecules juba."
Nk'omuhwezi wa Klarman, Kong nawe ariyo nakora kwihaho nitrates, ekigimusa ekirikukira kusheesheka omu mihanda y'amaizi omu muringo gw'obutwa, kuruga omu buhangwa kandi kikabihindura ebintu ebitari by'akabi munonga, nikwo agizire.
Kong akagyezaho kukoresa ebyoma ebirikushangwa omu nsi nka aluminiyamu n’etini nk’ebintu ebirikureetaho okutunguuka. Ebyoma ebi n’eby’obuguzi bukye, tibiine butwa kandi biri bingi omu itaka, n’ahabw’ekyo okubikozesa tikirikwija kureetaho enshonga z’okugumizamu, nikwo agizire.
“Nitukora n’aha ku turikubaasa kukora ebikwato ebirikureetaho okuhinduka ahu ebyoma bibiri birikukoragana,” Kong nikwo arikugira. “Twakoresa ebyoma bibiri omu nkora emwe, ni bigarukamu ki n’emiringo y’eby’obuhangwa erikushemeza ei turikubaasa kutunga kuruga omu nkora z’ebyoma bibiri?”
Ebibira n’embeera y’eby’obuhangwa erikukwaata eby’ekyoma ebi – ni bikuru munonga omu kwiguraho obushoboorozi bw’ebyoma ebi kukora omurimo gwabyo, nk’oku orikwetaaga emyenda ehikire ahabw’embeera y’obwire ehikire, Kong nikwo arikugira.
Emyaka 70 ehweire, omutindo gukaba guri ogw’okukoresa omwanya gumwe gw’ekyoma kubaasa kuhikiiriza okuhinduka kw’eby’obuhangwa, kwonka omu myaka ikumi ehweire nari nk’egyo, abashaho omu by’obuhangwa batandikire kucondooza aha kwegaita kw’ebyoma bibiri, yaaba omu by’obuhangwa nari ebiri haihi. Kong naagira ngu eky’okubanza, “nikikuha obugabe bwingi.”
Ebi bimetallic catalysts nibiha abashaho obushoboorozi bw’okugaita eby’ekyoma kurugiirira aha maani gaabyo n’oburemeezi bwabyo, Kong nikwo arikugira. Nk’eky’okureeberaho, ekicweka ky’ekyoma ekirikukwatanisa kubi n’ebintu ebiri ahansi kwonka kikahenda gye enkoragana nikibaasa kukora n’ekindi kicweka ky’ekyoma ekirikuhenda enkoragana mbi kwonka kikakwatanisa gye n’ebintu ebiri ahansi. Okubaho kw’ekyoma kya kabiri nakyo nikikwata aha mitwarize y’ekyoma ky’okubanza.
”Nobaasa kutandika kutunga eki turikweta synergistic effect ahagati y’ebicweka bibiri eby’ekyoma,” Kong nikwo arikugira. “Omuringo gw’okukoresa ebyoma bibiri (bimetallic catalysis) guherize kutandika kworeka okugarukamu okumwe okw’omutaano buzima kandi okw’okutangaaza.”
Kong agizire ngu hakiriho ebitarikumanywa bingi aha ku ebyoma birikukwatanisa omu bikwatiraine n’ebicweka by’omubiri. Akashemererwa ahabw’oburungi bw’eby’obuhangwa byonka nk’oku yaabaire ashemereirwe ahabw’ebyarugiremu. Kong akareetwa omu kitongore kya Lancaster Laboratories ahabw’obukugu bwabo omu kucondooza aha bikwatiraine n’okureeba ebiri omu itaka.
Lancaster akagira ati: “N’ekintu ekirikukwatanisa. "Eby'okureeberaho bya X-ray spectroscopy bikahwera Richard kwetegyereza ebyabaire nibibaho enyima y'ebishushani n'ekirikureetera etini kuba ey'omutaano kandi erikubaasa kukora emibazi egi. Tukagasirwa omu kumanya kwe kwingi aha by'obuhangwa bw'ekibiina ekikuru, ekyaigurireho guruupu orwigi rw'okuza omu mwanya musya."
Byona nibiruga omu by’obuhangwa n’okucondooza, Kong nikwo arikugira, kandi enkora egi neebaasika ahabw’okutunga obuhwezi bwa Open Klarman.
Akagira ati: “Aha izooba eririkushushana, nimbaasa kugyendera aha nkora y’okugarukamu omu laboratorio nari kushutama aha kompyuta ndikugyeragyeranisa molekyu.” “Nituteeraho kutunga ekishushani ekihikire eky’emirimo y’emibazi nk’oku kirikubaasika.”