Post by account_disabled on Feb 20, 2024 5:11:57 GMT -5
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a solar energy technology that replicates the process of photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide (CO ) and water into liquid fuels . The highlight of the research is that these liquid fuels can directly power a car's engine without any modifications, known as "direct" fuel.
The technology takes advantage of photosynthesis, the natural process by which plants convert sunlight into food. It manages to replicate this natural process, using the sun's energy to convert CO and water into multi-carbon fuels (ethanol and propanol) in a single step. These fuels contain a high energy density and can be easily stored or transported.
The solar fuels developed by these researchers produce net zero carbon emissions and are completely renewable and, unlike most bioethanol , do not divert any agricultural land from food production.
Bioethanol has long been touted as a cleaner alternative to gasoline since it is made from plants rather than fossil fuels. In particular, many cars and trucks on the road today run on gasoline containing up to % ethanol. The Un C Level Executive List ited States is the world's largest producer of bioethanol: nearly % of all corn grown in the U.S. is used for ethanol production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Cambridge research team has been developing sustainable carbon-free fuels inspired by photosynthesis using artificial leaves. Until now, these artificial leaves have only been able to make simple chemicals, such as syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide used to produce fuels, plastics and fertilizers. However, it would need to be able to produce more complex chemicals directly in a single step with solar power to make the technology more practical.
Now, the artificial leaf can directly produce clean ethanol and propanol without needing the intermediate step of producing syngas. To do this, the researchers developed a catalyst based on copper and palladium optimized in a way that allowed the artificial leaf to produce more complex chemicals, specifically the multicarbon alcohols ethanol and n-propanol.
Researchers from other groups have been able to produce similar chemicals using electrical energy. But this is the first time that such complex chemicals have been produced with an artificial leaf using only the sun's energy.
Although the technology is still at laboratory scale, the researchers say their 'artificial leaves' are an important step in the transition from a fossil fuel-based economy. The team is working to optimize the light absorbers to better absorb sunlight and optimize the catalyst to convert more sunlight into fuel. More work will also be required to make the device scalable so it can produce large volumes of fuel.
“Although there is still work to do, we have shown what these artificial leaves are capable of doing,” said Professor Erwin Reisner, who led the research. "It's important to show that we can go beyond the simplest molecules and make things that are directly useful as we move away from fossil fuels.
The technology takes advantage of photosynthesis, the natural process by which plants convert sunlight into food. It manages to replicate this natural process, using the sun's energy to convert CO and water into multi-carbon fuels (ethanol and propanol) in a single step. These fuels contain a high energy density and can be easily stored or transported.
The solar fuels developed by these researchers produce net zero carbon emissions and are completely renewable and, unlike most bioethanol , do not divert any agricultural land from food production.
Bioethanol has long been touted as a cleaner alternative to gasoline since it is made from plants rather than fossil fuels. In particular, many cars and trucks on the road today run on gasoline containing up to % ethanol. The Un C Level Executive List ited States is the world's largest producer of bioethanol: nearly % of all corn grown in the U.S. is used for ethanol production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Cambridge research team has been developing sustainable carbon-free fuels inspired by photosynthesis using artificial leaves. Until now, these artificial leaves have only been able to make simple chemicals, such as syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide used to produce fuels, plastics and fertilizers. However, it would need to be able to produce more complex chemicals directly in a single step with solar power to make the technology more practical.
Now, the artificial leaf can directly produce clean ethanol and propanol without needing the intermediate step of producing syngas. To do this, the researchers developed a catalyst based on copper and palladium optimized in a way that allowed the artificial leaf to produce more complex chemicals, specifically the multicarbon alcohols ethanol and n-propanol.
Researchers from other groups have been able to produce similar chemicals using electrical energy. But this is the first time that such complex chemicals have been produced with an artificial leaf using only the sun's energy.
Although the technology is still at laboratory scale, the researchers say their 'artificial leaves' are an important step in the transition from a fossil fuel-based economy. The team is working to optimize the light absorbers to better absorb sunlight and optimize the catalyst to convert more sunlight into fuel. More work will also be required to make the device scalable so it can produce large volumes of fuel.
“Although there is still work to do, we have shown what these artificial leaves are capable of doing,” said Professor Erwin Reisner, who led the research. "It's important to show that we can go beyond the simplest molecules and make things that are directly useful as we move away from fossil fuels.