Scientists create bionic leaf that turns sunlight into liquid fuel

Scientists at Harvard university have created a system that can convert solar energy into liquid biofuel, Science Daily reports.

According to the research papers, published on June 2, the system uses solar energy to split water molecules and hydrogen-eating bacteria to produce liquid fuels. And, incredibly, it can convert solar energy to biomass with 10% efficiency, far above the 1% seen in the fastest-growing plants, the researchers say.

"This is a true artificial photosynthesis system and we've gone well over the efficiency of photosynthesis in nature," said lead researcher Daniel Nocera, Patterson Rockwood Professor of Energy at Harvard University.

Dubbed "bionic leaf 2.0," the new system builds on previous work by Nocera and Pamela Silver, Elliott T. and Onie H. Adams Professor of Biochemistry and Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School.

After changing the catalyst used, the second version of bionic leaf was able to solve the challenges from the first version and achieve an efficiency, high enough to consider commercial development.

While the study shows the 2.0 system can be used to generate usable fuels, its potential doesn't end there, said Silver.

"In principle, we have a platform that can make any downstream carbon-based molecule. So this has the potential to be incredibly versatile," she added.

Working in conjunction with the First 100 Watts program at Harvard, which helped fund the research, Nocera hopes to continue developing the technology and its applications in nations like India with the help of their scientists.

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