Scientists Invent Technique to Create
If that headline seems to overstate the case – unlimited source – we are talking about the sun. More or less, it is an unlimited source. If the source runs out, there won’t be anyone around to argue the point in any case. So it is reasonable to call the sun an unlimited source. The scientific technique is what makes the source available for renewable energy.
University of Cambridge scientists have brought together two techniques to convert the energy of sunlight into storable biofuel. Using synthetic biology and artificial photosynthesis their process breaks water down into hydrogen and oxygen gases. This process is a major step in mass-producing photosynthesis cells that only use energy from the sun. Understanding the design of the elements in the process enables a controlled environment which can accelerate the process.
Mimicking photosynthesis in the name of collecting and storing energy is something scientists have been experimenting with for years. But until this breakthrough scientists have not been able to develop it on a large scale. For example, on a scale large enough to meet industrial needs. The scientists are careful to note that the artificial photosynthesis of the past could not effectively produce any product without the use of polluting devices. However, the methodology of semi-artificial photosynthesis is a blend of man-made technologies and biological process.
Chemist and lead author of the Cambridge study, Katarzyna Sokol said, Hydrogenase is an enzyme present in algae that is capable of reducing protons into hydrogen. The Cambridge effort has resulted in a better way to split water into hydrogen and oxygen by linking a photosynthesis pathway with hydrogenase.
