Important Innovations

Based On Photosynthesis in a Leaf, Artificial Photosynthesis Source" stock image of leaves in the Sun Lawrence Berkeley National Lab The new technology is an artificial version of photosynthesis.  It's a dreamed-for renewable energy technology that top scientists and engineers have been chasing for decades.  Artificial photosynthesis has just been achieved by a team of scientists at the renowned Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in California. Photosynthesis Photosynthesis is the sunlight-driven, chemical reaction process that leaves and algae use to convert CO2 into cellular fuel.  Led by scientist Heinz Frei, the Berkeley Lab team has developed an artificial photosynthesis system.  It's composed of nano-sized tubes capable of all of the key steps in fuel generation. Big Green Deal This new green, renewable energy technology is a very big deal.  The new technology has the potential to generate vast amounts of renewable energy by usin...

New Artificial Leaf Technology Could Help Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions Converts CO2 to Oxygen 10Xs Faster than Real Leaves A team of engineers at University of Illinois at Chicago have created the world's first artificial leaf technology that works in the real world - outside, not just in the lab.  And, most importantly, it converts CO2 into oxygen 10Xs better than real leaves do.  For a great news blog on this, go to Important Innovations Collection: Artificial Leaves and Climate Change : New Artificial Leaves Convert CO2 into Oxygen 10X's Better Than Real Ones Source:  University of Illinois at Chicago Learning fr...

International Research Solar Energy Push Source:  Uppsala University - Water Oxidation thru Photosystem II Detailing Photosystem II Photosystem II is a protein complex that splits water into hydrogen ions and oxygen during photosynthesis.  New images of the process, shown here, have been released by scientists at Uppsala University in Sweden.  A team of international scientists are taking part in this research. Goal: Cheap, Efficient Solar Fuel Power The new images are expected to help scientists to better understand what is a very complicated mechanism - photosystem II.  That detailed understanding could open the opportunity to develop solar fuel devices that are cheap and efficient.  Bottom-line:  photosystem II activates calcium and magnesium metal ions, which are cheap and plentiful, into a powerful water oxidation system.  By understanding the process, chemists potentially could do the same and open up solar fuel possibilities. Rene...

University of Californa - Berkeley Creates Solar Fuel from Gold + Bacteria Source:  University of California - Berkeley The Midas Touch University of California Berkeley researchers have just demonstrated a novel and efficient means of creating biofuels.  They've placed gold nanoclusters that absorb light into a bacterium.  A biohybrid results that produces a high yield of chemical products like biofuels.  It's a new source of sustainable energy. High Value Biohybrid The biohybrid captures sunlight and carbon dioxide to make chemicals useful both on earth and in space.  It's a breakthrough discovery and has just been published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. Artificial Photosynthesis Producing Solar Fuels The bacterium is photosensitive and is named Moorella thermoacetica.  It has an appetite for gold.  The researchers feed it a nanocluster of 22 gold atoms.  The gold slips through the cell wall.  With great efficiency, ...