Artificial Photosynthesis

What is Artificial Photosynthesis?

Artificial photosynthesis, the technology of converting sunlight into liquid fuels, would be the greenest of green technology if it can be done economically and on a large scale.Engineers and scientists are trying to develop a technology that will use sunlight and carbon dioxide to produce energy. This technology will have the dual benefit of reducing carbon dioxide levels while also producing renewable fuel. Scientists have proven that the technology is feasible, but problems still lie in scaling up. Captured carbon storage and efficient conversion of solar energy into electricity are challenges that, if overcome, will definitely pave the way of success for this technology.

 

Is This a good alternative to other technologies?

Yes.Photovoltaic cell technology is used in the production of solar panels, an expensive semiconductor based system that doesn't store energy. Instead, it converts sunlight for immediate use. Solar panels depend on sunlight, so bad weather hinders their ability to create energy. Artificial photosynthesis, a chemical based process, could provide an almost endless supply of much less expensive and storable energy. Fossil fuel systems require mining and refining, depleting natural resources, and adding pollutants to the air. Wind turbines and corn products take up a lot of land. Artificial photosynthesis doesn't require mining or land. It uses water and carbon dioxide, readily available resources, in a process that removes pollutants from the air without harming the environment.

Applications of Artificial Photosynthesis

Fossil fuels are in short supply, and they're contributing to pollution and global warming. Coal, while abundant, is highly polluting both to human bodies and the environment. Wind turbines are hurting picturesque landscapes, corn requires huge tracts of farmland and current solar-cell technology is expensive and inefficient. Artificial photosynthesis could offer a new, possibly ideal way out of our energy predicament.

For one thing, it has benefits over photovoltaic cells, found in today's solar panels. The direct conversion of sunlight to electricity in photovoltaic cells makes solar power a weather- and time-dependent energy, which decreases its utility and increases its price. Artificial photosynthesis, on the other hand, could produce a storable fuel.

And unlike most methods of generating alternative energy, artificial photosynthesis has the potential to produce more than one type of fuel. The photosynthetic process could be tweaked so the reactions between light, CO2 and H2O ultimately produce liquid hydrogen. Liquid hydrogen can be used like gasoline in hydrogen-powered engines. It could also be funneled into a fuel-cell setup, which would effectively reverse the photosynthesis process, creating electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen into water.

The ability to produce a clean fuel without generating any harmful by-products, like greenhouse gasses, makes artificial photosynthesis an ideal energy source for the environment. It wouldn't require mining, growing or drilling. And since neither water nor carbon dioxide is currently in short supply, it could also be a limitless source, potentially less expensive than other energy forms in the long run. In fact, this type of photoelectrochemical reaction could even remove large amounts of harmful CO2 from the air in the process of producing fuel. It's a win-win situation.

 Challenges Faced

Artificial photosynthesis is experimental and will most likely remain so for 10 or more years . What plants do naturally is not easy to reproduce, even though the process is fairly well-understood. Finding a reliable catalyst to initiate the process has been a challenge. Manganese has proven to be unstable, inefficient and impractical in lab setups. Stability is an issue with other catalysts, both organic and inorganic. Organic catalysts can degrade and cause reactions that damage fuel cells. Inorganic metal-oxide catalysts are often not an abundant resource.Recent developments include a noncorrosive solution for dye-sensitized cells that previously could corrode fuel cell systems and the use of cobalt oxide as a fast, stable and abundant metal oxide.The simple reality is that little real progress has been made in artificial photosynthesis over the past 20 years – a fact dictated by the affordable price of oil. Doubts are being raised as to whether researchers have a further 20 years to waste.

Artificial Photosynthesis Made Practical | MIT Technology Review. (n.d.). MIT Technology Review. Retrieved May 15, 2014, from http://www.technologyreview.com/news/521671/cheap-hydrogen-from-sunlight-and-water/