Groundbreaking Research in Artificial Photosynthesis – Doing What Nature Can’t
The idea of artificial photosynthesis, something that Nature has been trying to evolve and improve for billions of years, is something that in the last few decades humans have improved even more.
Photosynthesis provides energy for the vast majority of life on Earth. But chlorophyll, the green pigment that plants use to harvest sunlight, is relatively inefficient.
Artificial photosynthesis seeks to overcome the limitations of biological photosynthesis, including low efficiency of solar energy capture and poor carbon dioxide reduction.
Recent studies show how scientists have found brilliant ways of essentially allowing photosynthetic plants to grow in complete darkness, improving the efficiency of growth as well, and even creating what the scientists refer to as ‘cyborg bacteria’ that are able to photosynthesize a lot more efficiently than pretty much anything else in natural existence.
In one study, scientists used a two-step electrochemical process converts CO2 to acetate, which serves as a carbon and energy source for algae, yeast, mushroom-producing fungus, lettuce, rice, cowpea, green pea, canola, tomato, pepper, tobacco, and Arabidopsis.
Coupling this system of carbon fixation with photovoltaics offers an alternative, more energy-efficient approach to food production.
In another study, researchers wanted to capture more of the sun’s energy than natural photosynthesis can, so they taught bacteria to cover themselves in tiny, highly efficient solar panels to produce useful compounds.
These ‘cyborg bacteria’ actually outperform plants when turning sunlight into useful compounds.
With food demand growing globally, food production is ultimately constrained by the energy-conversion efficiency of photosynthesis. Scientists hope to change that. WATCH:
h/t Joe O.
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Ogmios
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‘…offers an alternative, more energy-efficient approach to food production’. A statement without supporting data but that should ensure the continuation of their grant funding.
What they mean to say is they have a system for growing empty vessels, plants that lack the essential micro-nutrients essential to life, which could be used as a substitute for real food.
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Chris*
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This all sounds a bit weird. Does synthetic photosynthesis produce carbohydrates c6h12o6, you know the stuff most living things eat? Does it release the oxygen molecule from the water molecule when making the carbohydrate?. Are these clever people aware that plant photosynthesis is our only source of free oxygen?
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