We’ve made plenty of progress with sustainable energy in recent years, but there’s still a lot of work left to do. Now, there’s encouraging news on the development of an ‘artificial leaf’ that could lead to the production of truly ‘clean’ synthetic f
We’ve made plenty of progress with sustainable energy in recent years, but there’s still a lot of work left to do. Now, there’s encouraging news on the development of an ‘artificial leaf’ that could lead to the production of truly ‘clean’ synthetic fuel.
In this case, the key step towards that achievement is the sustainable production of syngas (or synthesis gas), a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Currently, syngas is widely used in the production of various fuels, drugs, plastics, and fertilisers; it can be made in a number of ways, but usually involves the leftover products from coal or petroleum based materials. Thus, the final product isn’t always carbon neutral.
The new leaf device is dipped in water and powered by sunlight – but can still operate on cloudy days; it can produce sustainable syngas without releasing any carbon dioxide into the air.
"You may not have heard of syngas itself but every day, you consume products that were created using it," says chemist Erwin Reinser from the University of Cambridge in the UK.
"Being able to produce it sustainably would be a critical step in closing the global carbon cycle and establishing a sustainable chemical and fuel industry."
The new device in action. (Virgil Andrei)
The leaf mimics the photosynthesis we see in plants, combining incoming light, water and carbon dioxide with a cobalt catalyst called perovskite. At the other end you get hydrogen and carbon…
