Artificial leaves produce clean liquid fuel for cars

UK Experts develop solar-powered artificial leaf that converts CO2 and water into liquid fuel that can be fed directly into car engines.

Artificial leaves attached to metal support beams. Photo: Motiar Rahaman

A team at the University of Cambridge harnessed the power of photosynthesis – the process by which plants convert sunlight into energy – to turn CO2, water and sunlight into multi-carbon fuels (including ethanol and propanol) in one step, the Independent reported on May 18. These fuels have high energy density, are easy to store and transport. Unlike fossil fuels, they have zero net carbon emissions and are completely renewable.

The new fuel also doesn't take up agricultural land. "Biofuels like ethanol are controversial, especially because they often take up agricultural land that could be used to grow food," said Professor Erwin Reisner, who led the study.

According to the team, the new artificial leaf is an important step towards moving away from a fossil fuel-dependent economy . "Normally, when you try to convert CO2 into another chemical product using an artificial leaf, you almost always get CO2 or syngas. But here, we have produced liquid fuel using only solar energy," said Dr. Motiar Rahaman, a member of the team.

Bioethanol is considered a cleaner alternative to gasoline because it is produced from plants rather than fossil fuels. Many cars and trucks on the road today run on gasoline containing up to 10% ethanol (E10 fuel).

According to research published in the journal Nature Energy , the new artificial leaf can directly produce clean ethanol and propanol without the need for an intermediate step – creating syngas. Other research groups have previously produced similar chemicals using electricity. However, this is the first time such complex chemicals have been produced using an artificial leaf using only solar energy.

The artificial leaf is currently a prototype and has modest performance. The team is working to improve the light absorbers to better absorb sunlight, and to optimize the catalysts to convert more light into fuel.

Thu Thao (According to Independent )

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