Good News for the Environment: Artificial Photosynthesis Breakthrough

Slowing, or even reversing climate change won't be easy. The standard of living common in the industrialized world is simply too dependent on cheap and abundant energy, as well as many products derived from nonrenewable resources. The rise of developing countries is also contributing to this, as they obtain a higher standard of living as well. Many technological developments are necessary for a prosperous future that is also environmentally friendly. Still, compromises will likely need to be made on both ends. Society as a whole may need to sacrifice certain things in order to reduce their carbon footprint. Environmental movements will also likely need to accept that coal and oil will be a part of energy production for a long time.

But what if there was a way to do both? What if fossil fuels could be burned, at least for the time being, but the carbon emissions could be captured? Many groups are studying this possibility, even attempting to sequester bulk carbon dioxide from the environment as a whole. The ironic thing is that this technology already exists, it's called plants. However, the current rate of emitting carbon is faster than the planets plants can keep up with. Plants are also not very practical in attempts to sequester carbon dioxide directly from something like a coal power plant.

That is why many groups on working on something called artificial photosynthesis. Taking the concept that plants utilize for the nutrition; converting sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into biomass; and replicating it artificially. Researchers from the Department of Energy's Berkeley National Laboratory, and UC Berkeley, have made a significant breakthrough in this field. (via EurekaAlert) They have developed a hybrid system of both photoreactive nanowires, and bacteria.

The nanowires are made from silicon and titanium dioxide, and like a solar panel they produce electrons when exposed to light. But instead of powering something electrical, these electrons are directed to a population of bacteria within the nanowire material. The bacteria can absorb electrons directly from the environment and use them to convert carbon dioxide gas into acetate, a basic organic molecules. Along with the fact that the nanowires also split water into oxygen, the combined efforts of this system effectively replicates the basic process of photosynthesis.

So far they've only done laboratory experiments, but they're already achieving efficiencies of light to energy conversion on par with natural photosynthesis. The hope is that carbon dioxide directly from fossil fuel burning could be directed toward this system, and produce organic molecules directly from sunlight. The researchers also added certain strains of E. coli into the system, which were able to convert the acetate into other useful organic compounds.

If fully developed this system could not only reduce or eliminate certain carbon emissions, but it could be an environmentally friendly source of many useful compounds. As their research continues they think that further improvements could be made. Such as having the carbon dioxide more directly converted into useful products, that are normally derived from petrochemicals.