Artificial Photosynthesis as a Next Generation Power Source

Terms to Know

Watt

Mole

Unit of power defined as one joule-second

Measurement of amount of atoms/molecules in a system Unit of energy Prefix GigaBillion Prefix MegaMillion Prefix KiloThousand Splitting by light

Joule

Photolysis

Photoelectrochemistry

Photocatalytic Water Splitting

Study of light and electricity interaction with chemical substances Photoelectrochemical Cell=Photocatalytic Cell
Splitting of water with the help of light and catalysts

Quick Facts
Highest

solar-to-power conversion efficiency for a Photovoltaic Cell (Solar Panel) to date

20% Efficiency

Average

amount of energy the Earth receives from the Sun per day
550 Terawatts (200 Petawatts per year)
The

entire US uses 3.163 Terawatts per year The entire world uses 16.16 Terawatts per year

Photo-powered Cells vs. Petroleum Engine

Photo-powered

Petroleum

Easily controlled reaction Very efficient energy conversion (Fuel Cell) No heat Clean Renewable Works almost limitlessly No need for refueling

Clearly Photo-powered systems are better

Explosive Lost energy during energy conversion (Combustion) Heat Emissions Non-renewable Needs regular refueling

Quick Review of Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis

6 Carbon Dioxide + 6 Water>>> Glucose+ 6 Oxygen Requires energy Takes place in Chloroplasts of Plant Cells Light to Chemical Energy Light reactions produce Oxygen

Thylakoid Membrane Stroma

Dark reactions produce Glucose

Quick Review of Cellular Respiration

Cellular Respiration

6 Oxygen + Glucose >>> ATP (Energy) + 6 Carbon Dioxide + 6 Water Produces energy Takes place in Mitochondria of Cells Chemical to Usable Chemical Three Steps
Glycolysis: Sugar Breaking Krebs Cycle: Carbon Dioxide and ATP Production Electron Transport Chain: Water and ATP Production

Ways to Use Energy from Photosynthesis

Glucose Fuel Cells

Cellular Respiration

Efficient Direct Conversion of Chemical Energy to Usable Energy Provides reusable products Requires expensive catalysts (for now) such as Platinum Efficient ATP produced will have to be converted into Usable Energy Provides reusable products Complicated to synthetically reproduce Inefficient: Heat loss Direct conversion of Chemical Energy to Usable Energy Provides reusable products Simple reaction

Combustion

Photosynthesis vs. Photocatalysis

Photosynthesis

Produces Glucose and Oxygen

Photocatalysis

Glucose and Oxygen combustion produces 3204 kilojoules per mole Energy per Weight=17.8 kilojoules per gram Less weight efficient Easily found in nature

Produces Hydrogen and Oxygen

Hydrogen and Oxygen combustion produces 286 kilojoules per mole Energy per Weight=283 kilojoules per gram Very weight efficient Still being researched

Photosynthesis and electrochemistry vs. Photovoltaics

Photosynthesis/Photoelectrochemistry

Photovoltaic

Convert sunlight directly to easily stored chemical compounds Shorter Lifespan Easily adapted to current engines Still being researched technology Converts sunlight into electricity which then needs to converted to chemical energy for storage Longer Lifespan Can not be easily adapted to current engines Well-established technology

Typical Photosynthesis Cell

E N E R G Y

Light

6(CO2)+6(H2O)

Photosynthetic Cell

Storage C6H12O6+6(H2O)

Fuel Cell

Candidates for Artificial Photosynthesis

Microalgae

Nostoc Punctiforme (Cyanobacteria)

Converts Carbon Dioxide and Water into Lipids at high efficiencies Converts Nitrogen gas into Ammonia and releases Hydrogen, both of which can be used to create energy

NAPD+/ NADPH Coenzyme System

Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase (RuBisCO)

Based off the Calvin Cycle, produces Carbohydrates which can be used to create energy
Rather slow enzyme that reduces Carbon Dioxide, works in mild conditions

Blue Dimer

Catalyst based off those found in natural photosynthesis, evolves oxygen from water

Detailed Look into Blue Dimer

Blue

Dimer is a photocatalyst that produces protons (H+) ions and O2 molecules from water It mimics the light reactions of Natural Photosynthesis For it to be properly used, the Hydrogen ions would have to be converted to H2 molecules It is much more efficient in terms of energy production than RuBisCO systems or Microalgae To provide an even greater efficiency, the Triad Approach could be utilized

Triad Approach

Typical Photoelectrochemical Cell

E N E R G Y

Light

2(H20)

Storage
Photocatalyst

Fuel Cell

2(H2)+O2

Candidate Catalysts for Photoelectrochemical Cells

Most Catalysts come from Transition Metals (DBlock) of Periodic Table Candidates for PEC Cells are:

Vanadium Dioxide (VO2)

Sodium Tantalate (NaTaO3)

1.416 moles of hydrogen/gram catalyst/hour 405 kilojoules/gram/hour

Titanium Dioxide (TiO2)

1180 millimoles/gram/hour 33 kilojoules/gram/hour

180 millimoles/gram/hour 5 kilojoules/gram/hour Various Rates, Highest Achieved: 14 moles/gram/hour 4 Megajoules/gram/hour

Cadmium Compounds (Cd)

Detailed Look at VO2 System

Vanadium Dioxide provides the best ratio of price to efficiency

Vanadium Dioxide would be deposited on silicon chips via sol-gel method Using a design similar to a solar panel, VO2 would break down a constant stream of water that would flow over it The Hydrogen gas produced would exit via a tube at the top of the panel Hydrogen could be stored indefinitely Hydrogen could then be catalyzed with oxygen in a fuel cell, releasing energy

$20 per pound 183 Megajoules per pound (Enough to power 36 houses for a day)

Oxygen would be produced by a different catalyst, such as Ruthenium Dioxide (RuO2)

Vanadium Dioxide Photoreactor Cell

Fuel Cell

VO2 RuO2
Fuel Cell

Basic Fuel Cell

A Final Recap
Photosynthesis

and Photoelectrochemistry use light from the sun to produce chemical compounds that store energy Stored chemical energy can be released by various methods, allowing the energy to be used Products of the release of energy can be used to form more energy-storing compounds

Global Impact
Photosynthetic Cells and PEC Cells, once perfected, will provide a cheap, accessible, clean, and renewable power source. Currently the best technology is either the Blue Dimer Catalyst or the VO2 catalyst. The Photocells will help with Global Climate Change as no they will reduce CO2 emissions. Over time, once they have been incorporated into everyday infrastructure such as cars, gas stations, and power plants, they could very well make gasoline and other fossil fuels obsolete.

Other Research

Metabolic Engineering

Fuel Cells

Used to modify the metabolism of organisms Research is being done into altering RuBisCO so as to make it more efficient
Used to release energy from fuel Use precious and expensive metals Research being done to lower price and raise efficiency of these Light ranges from low energy (infrared) to high energy (Ultraviolet) Most catalysts work better with higher light energies, and most sunlight comes in lower energies UV Upconverters take photons with lower energies and convert them into a proton with high energy Photosynthetic Protista Very good at converting sunlight into chemical energy using a different form of RuBisCO Unfortunately, C. Velia still uses most of its produced energy

Ultraviolet Upconverters

Chromera Velia

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