isobutanol tagged posts

A new “bionic leaf” system uses solar energy to produce liquid fuel. Credit: Courtesy of Jessica Polka/Silver Lab

New system surpasses efficiency of photosynthesis. Prof Nocera, and Prof Silver of Harvard University, have co-created a system that uses solar energy to split water molecules and hydrogen-eating bacteria to produce liquid fuels. “This is a true artificial photosynthesis system,” Nocera said. “Before, people were using artificial photosynthesis for water-splitting, but this is a true A-to-Z system, and we’ve gone well over the efficiency of photosynthesis in nature.”

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

Daniel G. Nocera. Credit: Courtesy of Daniel G. Nocera

Harvard Chemist Daniel Nocera et al have engineered a bacterium that has made it capable of taking in carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and excreting several types of alcohol fuels, along with biomass that can be burned and used as an energy source. Nocera achieved a level of notoriety 5 years ago, when he and his team announced that they had created an artificial leaf that could be used to generate hydrogen for use as a fuel—that idea did not lead to hydrogen fuel cells displacing gasoline in automobiles, as he had hoped, so this go round, he has set his sights or providing a fuel source for those more in need—parts of India where there is still no electricity.

The new bacterium, named Ralston eutropha was first caused (via genetic eng...