Artificial leafs
The problem that poses the greatest threat to humanity in
this going era is of climate change this problem is not just threatening the
existence of humanity rather all forms of life is endangered. So to tackle this
issue scientists have created an artificial leaf that could turn out to be the
cure for this problem of ours. So this artificial leaf has been created to
tackle climate change by converting harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) into useful
alternative fuel. This new artificial technology was inspired by the way plants
use energy from the sunlight to turn carbon dioxide into food.
"We call it an
artificial leaf because it mimics real leaves and the process of
photosynthesis," said Yimin Wu, an engineering professor at the University
of Waterloo who led the research. "A leaf produces glucose and oxygen. We
produce methanol and oxygen."
Carbon dioxide acts as the primary contributor to global
warming so making methanol from carbon dioxide can both reduce greenhouse gas
emissions and provide a substitute for the fossil fuels that create them. The
key for this process being inexpensive is a cheap, optimized red powder called
cuprous oxide. This powder acts as a trigger for a chemical reaction when it is
mixed with water and then carbon dioxide is blown and with a solar simulator a
beam of white light is directed. As a result this process produces oxygen while
also converting carbon dioxide into methanol.
"I'm extremely excited about the potential of this
discovery to change the game," said Wu, a professor of mechanical and
mechatronics engineering, and a member of the Waterloo Institute for
Nanotechnology. "Climate change is an urgent problem and we can help
reduce CO2 emissions while also creating an alternative fuel."
