Carbon Neutrality

Carbon neutrality is the balance of emitting and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere using carbon sinks. Carbon Sequestration is removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it on land. But, sequestration is not the only way to achieve carbon neutrality. Reducing our emissions and dependence on fossil fuels is also just as effective. Achieving carbon neutrality is such a broad topic in our daily lives and has so many possibilities that it is almost impossible to cover it entirely in one article. Sure, there are many ways we can contribute towards carbon neutrality: use less electricity, plant more trees, use renewable energy and stay away from fossil fuels. But everyone already knows these methods and has read about them many times, and I do not want to bore you with common knowledge. That is why I am writing about such an exciting and unorthodox topic today: Artificial Photosynthesis.

Researchers at MIT spearheaded by Daniel Nocera have created an "artificial leaf," which, just like a natural leaf, turns solar energy into an organic product that can be utilized later to give power.

At its core, the artificial leaf is a silicon solar cell with different catalytic materials bonded to its sides. The significant part is that it needs no wires or electrical circuits to operate! If you place it in a water container with access to direct sunlight, it synthesizes oxygen and hydrogen bubbles in no time! 

"The device, Nocera explains, is made entirely of earth-abundant, inexpensive materials — mostly silicon, cobalt, and nickel — and works in ordinary water. Other attempts to produce devices that could use sunlight to split water have relied on corrosive solutions or relatively rare and expensive materials such as platinum."

The artificial leaf is made of a thin layer of semiconducting silicon — the material most solar panels are made of — which converts solar to electrical energy. Bound to its sides is an oxygen-releasing cobalt catalyst, a material whose potential for generating fuel from sunlight was discovered by Nocera and his co-authors in 2008. The other side of the silicon sheet is coated with a layer of a nickel-molybdenum-zinc alloy, which releases hydrogen from the water molecules.

However, the leaf above is not the only successful attempt to achieve artificial photosynthesis. That's because researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have created an even lower costing artificial leaf that has carbon dioxide capabilities that are 100 times stronger than existing systems. 

But, the main benefit of this technology is that, unlike other systems operated exclusively in laboratories, this artificial leaf can work in real life. It removes carbon dioxide from many lighter sources like air and coal-fired power plants, according to the researchers, and releases it for use as fuel and many other materials. "The team used a previous theoretical concept and modified a standard artificial leaf system with low-cost materials to achieve the results. Their new system, which is small enough to fit in a backpack and has a modular nature, included a water gradient — a dry side and a west side — that runs across an electrically charged membrane."   

This shows how technology is being used to make our lives easier. It showcases technology's immense scalability and versatility in handling even the most complex life-sustaining process. 

 We're already bioengineering fundamental life processes like photosynthesis; imagine what we will achieve in a few years! 

References

1) A Novel 'Artificial Leaf' Captures 100 Times More Carbon .... https://interestingengineering.com/a-novel-artificial-leaf-captures-100-times-more-carbon-than-others

2) 'Artificial leaf' makes fuel from sunlight | MIT News .... https://news.mit.edu/2011/artificial-leaf-0930