Artificial Photosynthesis :Future of fuels

Sun is the ultimate source of power if only for a day is all energy produced is stored it could fulfill the energy need of Earth for at least a thousand year. Sunlight is used for generating energy through the solar panels and the efficiency is almost 10% but it takes large numbers of solar panels for generating large amount of energy. Though photosynthesis may seems as a reverse process of using suns energy and converting it into glucose and oxygen, but this is the ultimate technique of getting sun energy into useful work. Plants do it all the time they convert sunlight into energy rich molecules with just carbondioxide, water and sunlight and of we are able to produce such a machine which could produce artificial photosynthesis then it would be a source of power with unlimited energy.

We are very close of generating such a device but the challenges lies in the process of oxidation of water and reduction of CO2, a research from Monash University has been able to recreate the photosynthesis process to produce methanol which is a fuel which can be used directly,and the efficiency of this process is higher than the natural photosynthesis. Various catalyst of copper dioxide are used for the oxidation of water and the reduction of carbondioxide and when the catalyst are coupled with materials that can absorb light fuels like methanol can be produced. If we are able to know the path followed by the process to occur and Researchers from institutions including Lund University have taken a step closer to producing solar fuel using artificial photosynthesis. In a new study, they have successfully tracked the electrons’ rapid transit through a light-converting molecule. The technique used is much difficult than the traditional solar panels but if we master this this will open a new corridors for energy which will be long lasting.