Links to other sites on the Web
Comments on 8 Articles of Artificial Photosynthesis
10107 Yea, So Yeon
[1] Artificial photosynthesis _ Wikipedia
Artificial photosynthesis is a research field that attempts to replicate the natural process of photosynthesis, converting sunlight, water and CO2 into carbohydrates and oxygen. Sometimes splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen by using sunlight energy is also considered as artificial photosynthesis.
There are 2 stages of photosynthesis, and in the Light-dependent reaction(stage 1), the hydrogen released could be used in hydrogen engines to generate ¡°clean¡± energy. In the light-independent reaction(stage 2), CO2 is converted into glucose(which is stored energy for plants¡¯ growth and repair), and such a process replicated on an industrial scale could help to counter global warming. Specifically this reaction could be used to ¡°mop up¡± excessive amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Through the explanation of the Wikipedia, I had a chance to know about a completely new notion, artificial photosynthesis. Through this information I learned about the definition of artificial photosynthesis and also thought it could make a huge market out of it and has tremendous potential.
[2] Promise of Artificial Photosynthesis
In the longer-term future it is unclear where most of our energy will come from. Solar power, tidal power, nuclear energy, fossil fuels are considered incongruent. Thus, a promising new contender: the harnessing of photosynthesis is emerging. The idea is to create artificial systems that exploit the basic chemistry of photosynthesis. The additional benefit here is that artificial photosynthesis could mop up any excess carbon dioxide left over from our present era of profligate fossil fuel consumption.
The first problem evolution faced was that the chemical reactions involved in carbohydrate formation require energy to drive them forward(¡°uphill¡±). The only one source of energy was available on earth ¨C from the sun ¨C but the trouble is that ¡°uphill¡± chemical reactions need energy in the form of electrical potential or voltage. For this to be sustainable, plants need a constant source of electrons and water is useful as the source. The extraction and separation of the oppositely charged electrons and protons from water molecules provide the electric power.
In plants, oxygen is the only by-product of the water-splitting process, but researchers realized that the reaction could be tweaked to produce hydrogen as well. The researchers thought it will be possible to produce hydrogen in artificial systems also, and a group of researchers identified the precise location of just a few critical molecules of manganese, oxygen and calcium within the core of the plant¡¯s photosynthesis engine where the water-splitting is performed. Thus, photosynthesis promises an efficient, elegant and economical source of power in the future.
This article introduces how the artificial photosynthesis can be used as a future energy source specifically. I think the researchers of this experiment had a really creative mind to actually think of producing hydrogen in artificial systems and consequently use it in real life. The process of the artificial photosynthesis was interesting although it was quite difficult to understand. I actually thought that the artificial systems that mimic the water-splitting chemistry of natural photosynthesis would look similar with plants, however the artificial systems were to use metals. When the artificial systems really come to be in real use, I wish to have a look at how the system looks like.
[3] Artificial Photosynthesis: Inspired By Nature, Scientists Explore Pathways To Clean, Renewable Solar Fuel
Scientists are trying to design catalysts inspired by photosynthesis. The goal is to design a bio-inspired system that can produce fuels like methanol, methane, and hydrogen directly from water and CO2 using renewable solar energy.
The components of natural photosystems do not work properly outside their normal environment, so scientists are investigating other catalysts that could be used to replicate these natural functions. There are 3 following summaries of these talks.
To replicate one of the important steps in natural photosynthesis, catalyzing oxygen production form water is important. Some chemists have turned to molecular complexes containing metals such as ruthenium that can drive the conversion of water into oxygen, protons, and electrons. The aim of their work is to understand how theses catalysts work and to elucidate the detailed mechanistic steps so they can design better catalysts.
Another molecule whose function scientists are trying to replicate is the building of bio-inspired catalytic cycle for fuel production. The goal for scientists is to find an NADPH- inspired catalyst that will mimic nature¡¯s cyclical motion. The researchers are investigating how the hydride donors can be generated using light, and plan to use this type of artificial catalyst for the production of fuels from CO2 in the future.
Finally scientists are eager in finding a ¡°Supercritical¡± solution to CO2 reduction. One of the final steps in artificial photosynthesis is turning CO2 into clean, useful fuels. Catalysts capable of converting CO2 into CO already exists, however it is inefficient and slow. So researchers are trying to eliminate the need for this solvent by pressurizing and heating up the CO2 until it takes on some of the properties of a liquid and can act as a good solvent.
This article introduces the effort made by scientists to design catalysts inspired by photosynthesis. There are several matters discussed between the researchers. In my opinion, if these already discussed matters are more seriously studied, the artificial photosynthesis will surely develop rapidly. I think the finding of a ¡°Supercritical¡± solution to CO2 reduction is the most crucial matter that must be discussed because it has been frequently discussed in many other articles and seems to be a very important matter in the field of artificial photosynthesis. I wish many scientists will be successful in designing catalysts inspired by photosynthesis in the close future.
[4] Artificial photosynthesis for future energy production
Plant photosynthesis has long been studied with an eye to understanding its underlying mechanisms and then applying this knowledge to the production of energy for the needs of society. Nowadays, hydrogen is regarded as one of the most promising forms of fuel for the future. A new European network, SOLAR-H, has now been established to bring together research competence from different fields. Under the new network, many scientists are gathering up to Uppsala in order to research at one university, having previously been split up at 3 different ones. The Uppsala team will be able to apply many different approaches simultaneously.
Scientists believe that artificial photosynthesis has tremendous potential, even though it remains to be demonstrated. It¡¯s a scientific challenge, and if we succeed, the market will be gigantic.
This article mostly explains about the new European network, SOLAR-H, and the gathering of scientists in order to research artificial photosynthesis more efficiently. I thought it was a good idea for many experimental teams that research different areas of the artificial photosynthesis to gather in a single laboratory, Uppsala, and I would be glad to look forward for the innovative research results that will come out from this research team.
[5] Chemical Biology
Harnessing light energy by mimicking photosynthesis could be the future for energy systems, say Japanese scientists. These scientists claim to have created the closest model of photosynthesis to date and hope this model will help in developing the artificial systems for converting solar energy into chemical potential energy.
In the process of producing carbohydrates from CO2 and water, electron travels through a photosynthetic membrane in the cell. Using mimics of the photosynthetic membranes the experimental team demonstrated that electron transport across the membranes could be driven by irradiating aromatic hydrocarbons, called pyrenes, embedded within them. Studying this process the group designed and synthesized novel pyrenes, which improved the electron transport efficiency.
The model doesn¡¯t work with visible light, however does satisfy most of the criteria needed to resemble natural photosynthesis. So the team claims that the electron transport system should be linked with a reductive catalytic reaction.
I am glad that the progress of the team, made our future closer to the real use of artificial photosynthesis. Through this article I learned more about the process of converting carbon dioxide into carbohydrates. I believe this development in the scientific field will help researchers in finding the way to use photosynthesis as the future energy and agree in the team¡¯s suggestion that the electron transport system should be linked with a reductive catalytic reaction.
[6] Artificial Photosynthesis Will Replace Oil
Finding an alternative and renewable solution for oil is of extreme importance. Researchers focus on the photosynthesis to develop catalysts that would produce fuels directly from renewable sunlight, water and CO2. The aim of their work is to understand how theses catalysts work and to elucidate the detailed mechanistic steps. However the most difficulty they have is that photosynthesis is hard to perform in the lab and natural photosystems do not work properly outside the cells.
The team is looking on how hydride donors can be made using light, and wants to employ this artificial catalyst in the production of fuels from CO2 in the future. Catalysts that turn CO2 into CO, a good source of fuel, are already developed. Nevertheless, the problem is that the catalysts are inefficient and slow ¨C nowhere near efficient enough to use in a practical application because the liquid solvent employed to dissolve the chemicals inhibits one of the main intermediate species that reacts with CO2.
This article introduces the research on artificial photosynthesis that has the goal on replacing the role of oil in the future. In my opinion, I think this is an important research because the world¡¯s oil resources are on the hands of certain nations that have the sole setting rights, and it is a limited resource that will be dried up sooner or later. Thus, it is very important to find a new energy that is able to replace the fossil fuel which can protect the environment as much as possible, and I think the artificial photosynthesis is indeed the proper energy source of this. Consequently, I wish the artificial photosynthesis will become an efficient energy as soon as possible.
[7] Focus on photosynthesis
In the structure of the complex in photosystem ?, in which water is split with the energy of sunlight, creates protons and electron which in principle can be combined to create hydrogen. If it were possible to copy this process, an inexhaustible source of carbon dioxide-free energy would become available.
Artificial photosynthesis could provide the energy source of the future-hydrogen, and in order to make progress in this, researchers should fully understand how plants and photosynthetic microorganisms split water with sunlight energy. The research team has now determined the precise structure of the part of the cluster containing manganese in which water is split into its component parts. The crucial secret is in the geometric arrangement of the cluster and during their research and the international team of researchers has now found out which manganese atoms are closer and which are further apart.
The researchers say that they now they have a structural basis with which to understand the different stages of reactions in the process that uses sunlight to split water, and that it is an important step towards developing artificial catalysts for regenerative hydrogen production.
This article introduces another crucial development in artificial photosynthesis, which is the secret of the geometric arrangement in the cluster containing manganese(water is split into its component parts). The progress they have made will become helpful information in developing artificial catalysts for hydrogen production. I thought that it would have been better if the researchers would have been successful in finding out the exact geometric arrangements of the cluster containing manganese, however the progress they have made is still quite valuable and it will indeed become a useful source in the future development. I hope the speed of development will accelerate and we could actually benefit from artificial photosynthesis soon.
[8] Chemists Take Step Toward Artificial Photosynthesis
Plants are extremely efficient at taking carbon dioxide from the air and converting it into biomass using light as an energy source. Thanks to some chemists that have taken an important step toward much more efficient cleavage, chemists may be a step closer to replicating photosynthesis.
This team had successfully activated CO2 for use in a chemical reaction by using a special new type of metal-free catalyst: graphitic carbon nitride. The team¡¯s use of a metal-free catalyst was inspired by plants, where photosynthesis creates carbamates from the bonding of CO2 to nitrogen atoms. Using the new catalyst, the researchers were able to oxidize benzene to phenol, the by-product being CO, which can be used directly for chemical syntheses. Like photosynthesis, the reaction seems to occur by way of carbamates. In the first step, CO2 binds to individual free amino groups present in the carbon nitride, and then oxidizes the benzene to phenol, and in the end the highly desirable CO separates from the catalyst.
This article presents a new progress in the field of artificial photosynthesis, which is the success in activating CO2 for use in chemical reaction. I agree with the researchers that this may even be the first step in artificial photosynthesis. This is because it is indeed a great development and there is no doubt that it will actually be used in many experiments of artificial photosynthesis. I will look forward to other experiments that make use of this progress, introduced in the article.
Links to other sites on the Web
