Plants are humanity's greatest and most important ally in the fight against climate change. They absorb carbon dioxide and transform it into the air on which humans depend. The more trees we plant, the less heat is absorbed into the air. But unfortunately, because of the perennial destruction of the environment, plants have less and less land and water to survive on, and we desperately need a "new ally" to help reduce carbon emissions.
Today I present to you a product of artificial photosynthesis - the "artificial tree", published by physicist Matthias May of the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels in Berlin in the journal "Earth System Dynamics published in the journal "Earth System Dynamics".
The new study shows that artificial photosynthesis mimics the process by which nature provides fuel for plants. Like real photosynthesis, the technique uses carbon dioxide and water as food, and sunlight as energy. The only difference is that instead of turning carbon dioxide and water into organic matter, it produces carbon-rich products, such as alcohol. The process uses a special solar cell that absorbs sunlight and transmits electricity to a pool of carbon dioxide dissolved in water. A catalyst stimulates a chemical reaction that produces oxygen and carbon-based byproducts.
The artificial tree, as applied to a depleted oil field, releases oxygen into the air just like plant photosynthesis, while another carbon-based byproduct is captured and stored. Theoretically, artificial photosynthesis has been shown to be more efficient than natural photosynthesis, the major difference being that artificial trees use artificial inorganic materials, which would greatly increase conversion efficiency. This high efficiency has been proven in experiments to be able to be more effective in the harsher environments on earth. We can install artificial trees in deserts where there are no trees and no farms, and through artificial tree technology we can capture large amounts of CO2.
So far, this artificial tree technology is still quite expensive, and the technical difficulty lies in developing cheap, efficient catalysts and durable solar cells. During the experiment, when the solar fuel is burned, a large amount of carbon stored in it is returned to the atmosphere. Therefore, the technology is not yet perfect. For now, curbing the use of fossil fuels remains the cheapest and most effective way to control climate change.
Post time: Oct-18-2022