Artifical photosynthesis

[arkmundi]

Nanowire-bacteria hybrids perform solar-powered green chemistry with captured CO2

(Nanowerk News) A potentially game-changing breakthrough in artificial photosynthesis has been achieved with the development of a system that can capture carbon dioxide emissions before they are vented into the atmosphere and then, powered by solar energy, convert that carbon dioxide into valuable chemical products, including biodegradable plastics, pharmaceutical drugs and even liquid fuels.
Scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley have created a hybrid system of semiconducting nanowires and bacteria that mimics the natural photosynthetic process by which plants use the energy in sunlight to synthesize carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water. However, this new artificial photosynthetic system synthesizes the combination of carbon dioxide and water into acetate, the most common building block today for biosynthesis.
"We believe our system is a revolutionary leap forward in the field of artificial photosynthesis," says Peidong Yang, a chemist with Berkeley Lab's Materials Sciences Division and one of the leaders of this study. "Our system has the potential to fundamentally change the chemical and oil industry in that we can produce chemicals and fuels in a totally renewable way, rather than extracting them from deep below the ground."

I like it when stuff like this comes along, that has the potential for solving our carbon-fuelled dilemma. Will the need to sequester carbon lead to a whole new enterprise called carbon-farming? This is really exciting stuff. Enjoy!

 

[cal3thousand]

Cool!

Seem promising

 

[beast775]

Just read the history of this,im very interested for sure.thanks for posting.

 

[arkmundi]

Energy Department to Provide $75 Million for ‘Fuels from Sunlight’ Hub

The Energy Department on April 28 announced $75 million in funding to renew the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP), an Office of Science Energy Innovation Hub originally established in 2010 with the goal of harnessing solar energy for the production of fuel. JCAP researchers are focused on achieving the major scientific breakthroughs needed to produce liquid transportation fuels from a combination of sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, using artificial photosynthesis. Under the renewal plan, the five-year-old center would receive funding for an additional five years of research, subject to congressional appropriations.

JCAP—which brings together many of the world’s top researchers in the field of artificial photosynthesis—is led by the California Institute of Technology in partnership with the Energy Department's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and operates research sites at both institutions. A Southern California site is located at the Caltech campus in Pasadena, while a Northern California site operates at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley. Additional partners include: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park; the University of California, Irvine; and the University of California, San Diego.

 

[LockH]

About two years later, and STILL making news...

Chemists Turn CO2 to Solar Fuel and Clean Air With Artificial Photosynthesis
http://interestingengineering.com/chemists-turn-co2-solar-fuel-clean-air-artificial-photosynthesis/

Includes:

University of Central Florida professor Fernando Uribe-Romo developed the breakthrough. For years, scientists have been looking for a way to make visible light trigger photosynthesis. While UV rays are the best option, they only make up about 4 percent of light Earth receives from the sun. The visible light range makes up most of the sun’s rays. However, the materials that can effectively pick up these waves for the process are expensive. While platinum, rhenium, and iridium are all great choices, Uribe-Romo noted they’re all too pricey.

He opted for titanium compounded with organic molecules that act as antennae for light. Those “light harvesting” molecules can be tailored to absorb specific lengths and colors of light. He and his team fine-tuned the process to the color blue. They built a blue LED photoreactor — seen below — to trigger the reaction.

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