Photosynthesis is an important reaction in which plants convert sunlight into energy. The process breaks down oxygen as a by-product. When the water is split, the hydrogen produced could prove to be a green and unlimited source of renewable energy.
The new study, contributed by scientists of the University of Cambridge led by St. John’s College, has used semi-artificial photosynthesis to explore new ways to produce and store solar energy. The researchers used a blend of contemporary technologies and biological components to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen from natural sunlight.
The novel platform to achieve unassisted solar-driven water-splitting was developed in Cambridge’s Department of Chemistry at the Reisner Laboratory. And, the key findings of the research could revolutionize the systems used for renewable energy.
The scaling process of renewable energy created through artificial photosynthesis for industrial usage was found impaired in the past. This was attributed to the catalysts used in the process, which was expensive and toxic. And, to overcome this limitation, the Cambridge researchers used enzymes to create the desired result.
Katarzyna Sokól, lead author and PhD student at St John’s College and her team, managed to reactivate a process in the algae, which has been dormant for quite some time. The findings are expected to help other researchers to develop innovative model systems for solar energy conversion. Sokól reiterated that the research findings could lead to the emergence of more robust solar technology. She added that the approach could be used to couple other reactions to seeing what can be done, learn from the reactions, and then build synthetic, more robust solar energy technology.
The model is reportedly the first to use hydrogenase and photosystem II to create semi-artificial photosynthesis driven solely by solar power. And, this breakthrough research has been published recently in the Nature Energy journal.
