Artificial leaves turn sunlight into fuel

Experts at Cambridge University invented the device to create syngas, a gas usually produced from fossil fuels.

Artificial leaves help produce environmentally friendly fuels.Photo: Independent.

With the successful manufacture of new synthetic gas, the team hopes to develop a sustainable liquid fuel that can replace gasoline or be used to produce a variety of goods such as drugs, plastics, and fertilizers. , Independent reported today.

"You may have never heard of synthetic gas. However, every day you are using products that use it in the manufacturing process," said Erwin Reisner, a professor of chemistry at Cambridge University. . According to him, the creation of environmentally friendly synthetic gas is extremely important.

Artificial leaves do not add CO2 to the atmosphere by combining a number of materials and catalysts. The leaves mimic photosynthesis, a chemical reaction that helps plants convert sunlight, CO2 and water into energy. It uses two light absorbers, similar to the sun's molecules that collect sunlight, combined with a cobalt catalyst. When placed in water, one object uses a catalyst to produce oxygen, the second causes a chemical reaction that converts CO2 and water into CO and hydrogen, creating a synthetic gas.

The team also found that the artificial leaves were still effective when it was cloudy or rainy. "That means you are not limited to using this device in warm climates or in the summer. You can use it from dawn to dusk, anywhere in the world," Virgil said. Andrei, lead author of the study, said.

"We aim to make substances that can be used as fuels, such as ethanol, sustainably," added Andrei. He thinks it is difficult to produce fuel from sunlight just through a process with CO2 reduction, but believes the team is on the right track and can create equipment that can do so in the future. .

" Instead of producing synthetic gas first and converting it into liquid fuel, we want to create liquid fuel from CO2 and water in just one step," Prof Reisner added. He said the need to use liquid fuels to help transport sustainably grow.

1. The lamp sucks CO2 and releases oxygen like a tree
2. Artificial leaves use sunlight to create medicine