{"id":5681,"date":"2024-09-17T16:08:48","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T16:08:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=5681"},"modified":"2024-10-24T18:33:11","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T18:33:11","slug":"university-of-michigan-develops-breakthrough-in-artificial-photosynthesis-for-sustainable-fuels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/university-of-michigan-develops-breakthrough-in-artificial-photosynthesis-for-sustainable-fuels\/","title":{"rendered":"University of Michigan Develops Breakthrough in Artificial Photosynthesis for Sustainable Fuels"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">In a groundbreaking development, the University of Michigan&#8217;s engineers have devised an artificial photosynthesis system that efficiently converts carbon dioxide into ethylene. This technological leap holds promise for reducing industrial CO<sub>2<\/sub> emissions and fostering sustainable fuel production.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In a significant step toward creating sustainable fuels, researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a pioneering artificial photosynthesis system. This groundbreaking setup chains two carbon atoms together to produce ethylene with unparalleled efficiency, longevity and yield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The performance, or the activity and stability, is about five to six times better than what is typically reported for solar energy or light-driven carbon dioxide reduction to ethylene,&#8221; Zetian Mi, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Michigan and the corresponding author of the study <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s44160-024-00648-9#author-information\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in Nature Synthesis, said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/news.umich.edu\/in-step-toward-solar-fuels-durable-artificial-photosynthesis-setup-chains-two-carbons-together\/\" title=\"\">news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Significance of Ethylene<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ethylene, a fundamental hydrocarbon predominantly used in the production of plastics, is typically manufactured from oil and gas under high temperatures and pressures, processes that emit substantial amounts of CO<sub>2<\/sub>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Ethylene is actually the most produced organic compound in the world. But it is typically produced with oil and gas, under high temperatures and pressures, all of which emits CO<sub>2<\/sub>,&#8221; Mi added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By harnessing light to convert CO<sub>2<\/sub> into ethylene, this newly engineered device presents a greener alternative that could mitigate the carbon footprint of plastic manufacturing and pave the way for cleaner industrial processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How It Works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The system operates by absorbing light through two types of semiconductors \u2014 a forest of incredibly narrow gallium nitride nanowires growing on a silicon base. The conversion of water and carbon dioxide into ethylene occurs on copper clusters that speckle the nanowires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When these nanowires are immersed in CO<sub>2<\/sub>-enriched water and exposed to light, they trigger a sequence of reactions. The light&#8217;s energy frees electrons to split the water into hydrogen and oxygen. The copper clusters then help bind the hydrogen to carbon from CO<sub>2<\/sub>, forming carbon monoxide. The final ethylene production possibly occurs at the interface of copper and gallium nitride oxide, where carbon atoms bond and oxygen atoms are replaced with hydrogen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What&#8217;s even more impressive is the system&#8217;s endurance. Unlike other catalysts needing carbon-based fluids and degrading after a few hours, this device achieved a commendable efficiency of 61% and functioned continuously for 116 hours, with similar devices reaching 3,000 hours of operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Future Ambitions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking ahead, the team aims to extend their success to other hydrocarbons, striving to produce multicarbon compounds, such as propanol and liquid fuels. These advancements could revolutionize sustainable fuel production, making current transportation technologies more environmentally friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;In the future, we want to produce some other multicarbon compounds such as propanol with three carbons or liquid products,&#8221; first author Bingxing Zhang, an assistant research scientist in electrical and computer engineering at U-M, said in the news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This innovation promises to advance efforts in converting CO<sub>2<\/sub> into valuable products, presenting an exciting frontier in the quest for sustainable energy solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The University of Michigan has applied for patent protection and is licensing the technology to NX Fuels, a startup cofounded by Mi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a significant step toward creating sustainable fuels, researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a pioneering artificial photosynthesis system. This groundbreaking setup chains two carbon atoms together to produce ethylene with unparalleled efficiency, longevity and yield. &#8220;The performance, or the activity and stability, is about five to six times better than what is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sustainability"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"In a significant step toward creating sustainable fuels, researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a pioneering artificial photosynthesis system. This groundbreaking setup chains two carbon atoms together to produce ethylene with unparalleled efficiency, longevity and yield. &#8220;The performance, or the activity and stability, is about five to six times better than what is&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5681"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5681\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8412,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5681\/revisions\/8412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}