via www.themarysue.com
The global industrial sector accounts for more than half of the total energy used every year.
Now scientists are inventing a new artificial photosynthetic system that could one day reduce industry’s dependence on fossil fuel-derived energy by powering part of the sector with solar energy and bacteria. In the ACS journal Nano Letters, they describe a novel system that converts light and carbon dioxide into building blocks for plastics, pharmaceuticals and fuels — all without electricity.
Peidong Yang, Michelle C. Y. Chang, Christopher J. Chang and colleagues note that plants use photosynthesis to convert sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make their own fuel in the form of carbohydrates. Globally, this natural process harvests 130 Terawatts of solar energy. If scientists could figure out how to harness just a fraction of that amount to make fuels and power industrial processes, they could dramatically cut our reliance on fossil fuels. So, Yang, Michelle Chang and Christopher Chang’s teams wanted to contribute to these efforts.
The groups developed a stand-alone, nanowire array that captures light and with the help of bacteria, converts carbon dioxide into acetate. The bacteria directly interact with light-absorbing materials, which the researchers say is the first example of “microbial photoelectrosynthesis.” Another kind of bacteria then transforms the acetate into chemical precursors that can be used to make a wide range of everyday products from antibiotics to paints.
The Latest on: Artificial photosynthesis
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Artificial photosynthesis” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Artificial photosynthesis
- A step toward artificial photosynthesis: Scientists recreate light-harvesting supramoleculeson February 1, 2023 at 5:16 pm
Scientists in Japan may have unlocked the key to recreating how plants perform photosynthesis, according to a new study, potentially paving the way for new ways to harvest solar energy.
- Recreating the natural light-harvesting nanorings in photosynthetic bacteriaon January 31, 2023 at 5:23 pm
Photosynthesis in plants and some bacteria relies on light-harvesting (LH) supramolecules, which come in different structures. So far, these LH molecules have not been artificially prepared. In a ...
- Artificial photosynthesis uses sunlight to make biodegradable plasticon January 25, 2023 at 6:09 am
In recent years, environmental problems caused by global warming have become more apparent due to greenhouse gases such as CO2. In natural photosynthesis, CO2 is not reduced directly, but is bound to ...
- Artificial photosynthesis uses sunlight to make biodegradable plasticon January 24, 2023 at 9:13 pm
In natural photosynthesis, CO 2 is not reduced directly, but is bound to organic compounds which are converted to glucose or starch. Mimicking this, artificial photosynthesis could reduce CO 2 by ...
- Artificial photosynthesis uses sunlight to make biodegradable plasticon January 24, 2023 at 4:00 pm
A research team led by Professor Yutaka Amao from the Research Center for Artificial Photosynthesis and graduate student Mika Takeuchi, from the Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of ...
- Toyota group lab passes plants in rate of artificial photosynthesison January 24, 2023 at 4:00 pm
NAGAKUTE, Aichi Prefecture--Toyota Central R&D Labs Inc. said it has gone one better than even plants, improving the efficiency of its artificial photosynthesis technology to a world record level.
- Artificial Photosynthesis Market Growth, Size, Share, Opportunities, Industry Analysis and Forecast 2023 To 2028on January 24, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Jan 25, 2023 (The Expresswire) -- Final Report will add the analysis of the impact of Russia-Ukraine War and COVID-19 on this Artificial Photosynthesis industry. A recent research report published by ...
- Concentrated photosynthesis device promises cheap green hydrogenon January 10, 2023 at 4:00 pm
UMich researchers have demonstrated an artificial photosynthesis device 10 times more efficient and one hundredth the size of previous devices of its kind. This green hydrogen production method ...
- Cyborg Bacteria Could Be the Key to Commercially Viable Artificial Photosynthesison November 14, 2022 at 12:11 am
Artificial photosynthesis is not a new concept, and a system that requires only sunlight and simple organic chemicals to generate renewable energy cheaply and cleanly is understandably highly ...
- Artificial Photosynthesison June 15, 2022 at 9:08 pm
Artificial photosynthesis mimics the process of natural photosynthesis to convert sunlight (and water) into energy. Unfortunately, while nature makes this look easy, artificial photosynthesis is ...
via Bing News
