How 'Bout A Bit Of Good News... Maybe We've Found A Way To Save The Planet/Humans...

[WillyT]

X-Posted From Science Group

Artificial Photosynthesis: Solar-Powered Green Chemistry Rehabilitates CO2
By News Staff - Science 2.0
April 16th 2015 01:00 PM

<snip>

A breakthrough in artificial photosynthesis has been achieved with the development of a hybrid system of semiconducting nanowires and bacteria that can capture carbon dioxide emissions before they are vented into the atmosphere and then, powered by solar energy, convert that carbon dioxide into valuable chemical products, including biodegradable plastics, pharmaceutical drugs and liquid fuels.

The system mimics the natural photosynthetic process by which plants use the energy in sunlight to synthesize carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water but this artificial photosynthetic system synthesizes the combination of carbon dioxide and water into acetate, the most common building block today for biosynthesis.

By combining biocompatible light-capturing nanowire arrays with select bacterial populations, the new artificial photosynthesis system offers a win/win situation for the environment: solar-powered green chemistry using sequestered carbon dioxide. The system starts with an "artificial forest" of nanowire heterostructures, consisting of silicon and titanium oxide nanowires.


SEM of Nanowire/Bacteria Hybrid Array. Credit: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

When sunlight is absorbed, photo-excited electron-hole pairs are generated in the silicon and titanium oxide nanowires, which absorb different regions of the solar spectrum. The photo-generated electrons in the silicon will be passed onto bacteria for the CO2 reduction while the photo-generated holes in the titanium oxide split water molecules to make oxygen.

Once the forest of nanowire arrays is established...

<snip>

Link: http://www.science20.com/news_articles/artificial_photosynthesis_solarpowered_green_chemistry_rehabilitates_co2-154871

[seveneyes]

1. Biology is the result of the entropy of physics

It can be self sustaining when thought is applied.

[WillyT]

2. Ok... Now I Need To Smoke Some Pot To Get The Meaning Of That...

[seveneyes]

3. The end never exists when you can reproduce the beginning of the next end

We have a few billion years to figure it out and I have no doubt we will if we can keep the loonies on the Grass...

[WillyT]

4. OK... That's It... Pot For Everybody... LOL !!!

First time I saw them:

[seveneyes]

5. Oh man

I was trout fishing at a pay by hour pond at 03:00 AM that night, chubbing with canned corn. When I went to the Chevy Nova with Kay, I left the plane at 70,00 feet and looked down at the two of us. It scared me.

I have not been back since, but I keep trying...

[WillyT]

6. DUDE... I Used To Play 'Echoes' Though My Klipsch Heresy Speakers On Halloween...

Frightened the kids... frightened me too.

[seveneyes]

8. There was a time

I was taken to an apartment with family and this (mafia?) dude had his place set up with MagnaPlaners and an array of Ampzilla amplifiers. That was 40+ years ago and I finally have my own Maggies and some free time with the family away during the day to enlighten the memories I can barely remember and never repeat.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

26. Nick Mason is just murdering those drums. n/t

[Fantastic Anarchist]

27. Going back a bit further ...

[calimary]

21. !!! :evilgrin:

Um... where does the line form?

[olddots]

7. never smoke pot then read or post on DU

I serve as the worst example .

[pinboy3niner]

9. Dave's not here, man

[seveneyes]

10. Dave is RIGHT here, man

[pinboy3niner]

11. He appears to be...

[calimary]

19. ROFL!!!!!!!

[tabasco]

12. Too little, too late

Technology ain't gonna save us.

[WillyT]

13. Why Not Give It A Try... Regardless ???

It's either that... or shove MORE crap into the air.

[tabasco]

22. Absolutely give it a try and use the shit out of it

But technology ain't gonna save us, as many people think.

[AtheistCrusader]

15. Please. Stand back, an engineer will fix it while you complain.

We always have. Always will.

[tabasco]

23. LOL. Yes, you're going to fix the biosphere.

Good luck with that.

Please tell me what engineers are doing to stop the ongoing mass extinctions. It seems you haven't been able to fix that. Thanks.

http://www.mysterium.com/extinction.html

[AtheistCrusader]

24. Why not? Human behavior has created a mess.

IN a way, we are geoengineering right now, and that's the problem. It's being done without design/goal in mind.

[liberal_at_heart]

14. that is so cool! I am going to school to study molecular biology and would love to

work on a project like this.

[ErikJ]

16. Artificial photosynthesis has been a dream for decades

For a power source mainly. Finally they might get it.

[niyad]

17. keeping fingers crossed.

[daleanime]

18. Hopeful, but even if it can be made to work quickly enough....

we've got tons of work ahead of us.

[gregcrawford]

20. Now why didn't I think of that?

[mahina]

25. Great.

Good luck to them.