Centuries of false starts end here — Artificial photosynthesis opens a door to limitless power

We condone ideas that show true originality and inventiveness, no matter how ridiculous or far-fetched they may sound. Ironically, an extremely original and inventive design based on creating a natural process artificially could revolutionize the world. A door to unlimited power has been opened by artificial photosynthesis, a process that could have us turn away from traditional renewable sources sooner than we have anticipated. Find out today how a research team came one step closer to changing the world.

Turning away from traditional renewable sources

The world has been transitioning to renewable energy sources for power for quite some time. This is the result of a global mission to mitigate the effects of global warming. According to the United Nations, renewable energy sources are beneficial because they:

Address climate change by emitting little to no greenhouse gases
Offer economic benefits through job opportunities and reliable, decreased energy costs
Improve human health by decreasing air and water pollution associated with fossil fuels

However, nothing in this world is perfect. According to HEC Hayward, traditional renewable sources have a dark side. In general, they face the following disadvantages:

Wind turbines were promised as clean, quiet and almost maintenance free, but high in the sky, where almost no one ever looks, a hidden issue was quietly spreading

Alaska’s waters are turning fluorescent green, and toxic blooms spreading through Indigenous fishing grounds are raising fears scientists still cannot contain

A solar farm was built to make electricity, but the ground beneath the panels quietly began doing something no one planned for

High upfront costs
They are significantly dependent on the weather conditions, which impact power output efficiency
Their excess power requires reliable and safe storage
Potential environmental impacts like habitat loss
Issues with the transmission infrastructure needed to integrate them into the existing grid

Now, researchers are turning away from traditional sources, as artificial photosynthesis opens a door to limitless power.

Artificial photosynthesis opens a door to limitless power

One of the most abundant life forms on the planet is cyanobacteria. This bacteria-type has previously been researched as a renewable energy source, because they have photosynthetic mechanisms, and the resulting energy can be harnessed.

Artificial photosynthesis is not a new concept, as these colored solar panels also make photosynthesis. However, using artificial photosynthesis from bioenergy sources could be revolutionary if we can maximize the energy collection. Now, a University of Cambridge (UK) research team has engineered a 3D printed electrode that increases the energy collection from the bacteria by over an order of magnitude.

“There’s a bottleneck in terms of how much energy you can actually extract from photosynthetic systems, but no one understood where the bottleneck was. Most scientists assumed that the bottleneck was on the biological side, in the bacteria, but we’ve found that a substantial bottleneck is actually on the material side.” – Jenny Zhang, research team leader

Maximizing the energy collection from artificial photozynthesis

The research team realized that the bacteria’s environment had to be optimized, as they require vast amounts of sunlight to grow. They engineered grids of branched electrodes that are 3D printed using metal oxide nanoparticles, resulting in a dense structure that optimizes sunlight accessibility. As the cyanobacteria attached to the electrodes, their electrons from photosynthesis could be extracted to produce power.

According to BioTechniques, this has resulted in increased bioenergy production efficiency compared to other technologies, such as biofuels and other approaches that depend on photosynthesis. Cyanobacteria are also more beneficial when compared to other renewable technologies, as they are low-maintenance and only require water and sunlight to produce power.

They have matched solar conversion efficiencies and proved that a ‘biohybrid’ approach to solar power generation could be a key aspect in zero-carbon energy generation.

Zhang and her research team’s breakthrough in cyanobacteria photosynthesis is another step forward in the right direction to enhance the sustainability of renewable energy technologies and devices. According to Zhang, further research and development could allow us to tap these “versatile chemical factories” and utilize their power in renewable fuels or chemical production. They could even be integrated into this innovative leaf-shaped solar device that mimics the pattern of nature.