Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new artificial photosynthesis system that can bind two carbon atoms together into a hydrocarbon, specifically ethylene (chemical formula – C2H4). This method has demonstrated remarkable efficiency, abundance, and consistency in producing ethylene compared to other existing systems.
The process starts with nanowires being submerged in water enriched with carbon dioxide and exposed to light equivalent to the sun at noon. The energy from the light frees up electrons that split the water near the surface of the gallium nitride nanowires. This generates hydrogen, which fuels the ethylene reaction, along with oxygen that is absorbed by the gallium nitride, transforming into gallium nitride oxide.
The copper clusters on the nanowires hang onto the hydrogen and grab onto the carbon dioxide, turning it into carbon monoxide. With the hydrogen in the mix and an injection of energy from the light, the team believes two carbon monoxide molecules bond together with the hydrogen to produce ethylene.
This device has shown remarkable stability, running for 116 hours without slowing down, and has produced ethylene at a rate exceeding four times that of the closest competing systems. The researchers aim to link longer chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms to produce liquid fuels and remove CO2 from the atmosphere, making it cleaner and better in the long run.
The study has been published in the journal Nature, and this breakthrough could potentially pave the way for generating completely renewable energy from CO2 present in our atmosphere.
Source: https://interestingengineering.com/energy/michigan-artificial-photosynthesis-solar-fuels