   Artificial Photosynthesis Discovery
  A scientist at MIT has developed a simple method to split water molecules and produce oxygen gas: 'Major discovery' from MIT primed to unleash solar revolution.Quote:...Inspired by the photosynthesis performed by plants, Nocera and Matthew Kanan, a postdoctoral fellow in Nocera's lab, have developed an unprecedented process that will allow the sun's energy to be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. Later, the oxygen and hydrogen may be recombined inside a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity to power your house or your electric car, day or night.The key component in Nocera and Kanan's new process is a new catalyst that produces oxygen gas from water; another catalyst produces valuable hydrogen gas. The new catalyst consists of cobalt metal, phosphate and an electrode, placed in water. When electricity -- whether from a photovoltaic cell, a wind turbine or any other source -- runs through the electrode, the cobalt and phosphate form a thin film on the electrode, and oxygen gas is produced.Combined with another catalyst, such as platinum, that can produce hydrogen gas from water, the system can duplicate the water splitting reaction that occurs during photosynthesis.The new catalyst works at room temperature, in neutral pH water, and it's easy to set up, Nocera said. "That's why I know this is going to work. It's so easy to implement," he said....James Barber, a leader in the study of photosynthesis who was not involved in this research, called the discovery by Nocera and Kanan a "giant leap" toward generating clean, carbon-free energy on a massive scale."This is a major discovery with enormous implications for the future prosperity of humankind," said Barber, the Ernst Chain Professor of Biochemistry at Imperial College London. "The importance of their discovery cannot be overstated since it opens up the door for developing new technologies for energy production thus reducing our dependence for fossil fuels and addressing the global climate change problem."...Currently available electrolyzers, which split water with electricity and are often used industrially, are not suited for artificial photosynthesis because they are very expensive and require a highly basic (non-benign) environment that has little to do with the conditions under which photosynthesis operates. More engineering work needs to be done to integrate the new scientific discovery into existing photovoltaic systems, but Nocera said he is confident that such systems will become a reality....Nocera hopes that within 10 years, homeowners will be able to power their homes in daylight through photovoltaic cells, while using excess solar energy to produce hydrogen and oxygen to power their own household fuel cell. Electricity-by-wire from a central source could be a thing of the past....So what do you think? A hydrogen fuel cell in every abode? Is that possible? Can we accomplish that? Will big oil and big energy allow that to happen?   
  I read a bit about this in New Scientist last night, seems like an intresting idea and if it can be developed it does seem like a great idea. The two problems I see are;1) cost. As much as the long term gains might be great people might not be able to afford to have such a system installed in the short term. This is where, in theory, goverments should step in to basically pay for it and then have the home owner pay them back.2) Oil companies 'investing' in the technology and then sitting on it and/or making it too expensive.   ;  I noticed that what they're doing is a basic electrolosis. This isn't 'new' by any means. The electrodes are just powered by solar cells. It's not big.   ;Quote:Original post by bobwritI noticed that what they're doing is a basic electrolosis. This isn't 'new' by any means. The electrodes are just powered by solar cells. It's not big.Yes, the article snippet above mentions the idea isn't totally new;Quote:Currently available electrolyzers, which split water with electricity and are often used industrially, are not suited for artificial photosynthesis because they are very expensive and require a highly basic (non-benign) environment that has little to do with the conditions under which photosynthesis operates.What their addition does is allow it to operate with alot less power required, and that IS big.   ;  How does this solves any energy crisis, since it requires catalysts made from cobolt and platinum, two extremely rare resources.   ;Quote:Original post by capn_midnightHow does this solves any energy crisis, since it requires catalysts made from cobolt and platinum, two extremely rare resources.1. Warning of world phosphate shortage2. Unlike other reagents that participate in the chemical reaction, a catalyst is not consumed.;Quote:The two problems I see are;1) cost. As much as the long term gains might be great people might not be able to afford to have such a system installed in the short term. This is where, in theory, goverments should step in to basically pay for it and then have the home owner pay them back.2) Oil companies 'investing' in the technology and then sitting on it and/or making it too expensive.Of course, the government as provider of Free Lunches. Lets just have a politician use his magical powers to sign all this into existence. If such a brilliant plan were to fail, then surely it must be a conspiracy by evil oil companies? (despite the lack of any shred of evidence of such, of course)As has been noted before, this has nothing to to with photosynthesis. Infact, if we cut away the hype, all we have is a supposedly novel way of performing electrolysis. I havnt been able to spot concrete efficiency numbers at a glance, but the classic way of electrolysis leaves to be desired in that regard. If they have improved on that efficiency significantly, that would be pretty cool.But if they had something good to show, why cover it in so many layers of bullshit? That makes me rather suspicious, if you hadnt noticed yet.   ;Quote:Original post by phantomQuote:Original post by bobwritI noticed that what they're doing is a basic electrolosis. This isn't 'new' by any means. The electrodes are just powered by solar cells. It's not big.Yes, the article snippet above mentions the idea isn't totally new;Quote:Currently available electrolyzers, which split water with electricity and are often used industrially, are not suited for artificial photosynthesis because they are very expensive and require a highly basic (non-benign) environment that has little to do with the conditions under which photosynthesis operates.What their addition does is allow it to operate with alot less power required, and that IS big.Ummm.... I could do it myself with a standered 9v battery. Of course everything takes more energy on industral scales. Even this would require a large array of solar panels.   ;  Maybe I'm just an idiot and don't understand this process at all -- but where the hell is all the water going to come from if we start burning through it for energy?   ;Quote:Original post by EelcoQuote:The two problems I see are;1) cost. As much as the long term gains might be great people might not be able to afford to have such a system installed in the short term. This is where, in theory, goverments should step in to basically pay for it and then have the home owner pay them back.2) Oil companies 'investing' in the technology and then sitting on it and/or making it too expensive.Of course, the government as provider of Free Lunches. Lets just have a politician use his magical powers to sign all this into existence. If such a brilliant plan were to fail, then surely it must be a conspiracy by evil oil companies? (despite the lack of any shred of evidence of such, of course)You're faulting them for lacking evidence for a hypothetical conspiracy theory that hasn't yet been made? Sounds to me like you're reaching for excuses to denounce this breakthrough without bothering to fully examine it. Meanwhile... The WMD that really should be worrying us.Quote:Imagine if tomorrow the CIA and MI6 discover that Osama bin Laden has invented an incredible new weapon. This machine – stashed away in some dusty Afghan cave – doubles the intensity of hurricanes, causing them to drown a US city and kill nearly 2,000 people. It turns Spain and Australia dry in the worst droughts on record. It makes the oceans acidic, killing essential parts of the food chain. It is causes these acidic seas to rise and wash away whole nations like Bangladesh and Tuvalu. And if the machine is left switched on for too long, it will drown London and New York and Lagos and Kinshasa too.This machine exists. It is called global warming – and we are our own Bin Laden. The world's scientists say our greenhouse gas emissions are causing this planetary cooking as surely as HIV causes Aids or smoking causes lung cancer.If al-Qa'ida was unleashing this weather of mass destruction, we would do anything – anything – to stop them. But because the enemy is inside each one of us, we stagger on, building more airports and coal power stations and shrieking for cheaper oil. We are suffering from what psychologists call an "external context problem": this is so far outside anything we have experienced before, it instinctively seems it cannot possibly be true, no matter how much evidence washes at our feet. ... Quote:Original post by EelcoAs has been noted before, this has nothing to to with photosynthesis. Infact, if we cut away the hype, all we have is a supposedly novel way of performing electrolysis. I havnt been able to spot concrete efficiency numbers at a glance, but the classic way of electrolysis leaves to be desired in that regard. If they have improved on that efficiency significantly, that would be pretty cool.Artificial photosynthesis Sometimes splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen by using sunlight energy is also referred to as artificial photosynthesis.Accomplishing electrolysis at room temperature and with neutral pH water is a major breakthrough in itself. Quote:Original post by EelcoBut if they had something good to show, why cover it in so many layers of bullshit? That makes me rather suspicious, if you hadnt noticed yet.Where are those layers of bull shit? I don't see them. Here's another account of the discovery that offers a few more details: Solar-Power BreakthroughQuote:...In his experimental system, Nocera immerses an indium tin oxide electrode in water mixed with cobalt and potassium phosphate. He applies a voltage to the electrode, and cobalt, potassium, and phosphate accumulate on the electrode, forming the catalyst. The catalyst oxidizes the water to form oxygen gas and free hydrogen ions. At another electrode, this one coated with a platinum catalyst, hydrogen ions form hydrogen gas. As it works, the cobalt-based catalyst breaks down, but cobalt and potassium phosphate in the solution soon re-form on the electrode, repairing the catalyst.Nocera created the catalyst as part of a research program whose goal was to develop artificial photosynthesis that works more efficiently than photosynthesis and produces useful fuels, such as hydrogen. Nocera has solved one of the most challenging parts of artificial photosynthesis: generating oxygen from water. Two more steps remain. One is replacing the expensive platinum catalyst for making hydrogen from hydrogen ions with a catalyst based on a cheap and abundant metal, as Nocera has done with the oxygen catalyst.Finding a cheaper catalyst for making hydrogen shouldn't be too difficult, says John Turner, a principal investigator at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in Golden, CO. Indeed, Nocera says that he has promising new materials that might work, and other researchers also have likely candidates. The second remaining step in artificial photosynthesis is developing a material that absorbs sunlight, generating the electrons needed to power the water-splitting catalysts. That will allow Nocera's catalyst to run directly on sunlight; right now, it runs on electricity taken from an outlet.There's also still much engineering work to be done before Nocera's catalyst is incorporated into commercial devices. It will, for example, be necessary to improve the rate at which his catalyst produces oxygen. Nocera and others are confident that the engineering can be done quickly because the catalyst is easy to make, allowing a lot of researchers to start working with it without delay. "The beauty of this system is, it's so simple that many people can immediately jump on it and make it better," says Thomas Moore, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Arizona State University.Additional steps remain, they're upfront about that. 