Will there be solutions for reducing CO2 emission and sustaining our lifestyle at the same time?

I was once very skeptical about humankind ever since I knew what we have been doing to our habitat and our planet. To be honest, I even considered abandoning current convenient modern lifestyle and heading to the forest or just temple…(haha). However, I was so accustomed to this lifestyle (air-conditioner, car, traveling, sweets, etc.) as well as I was not brave enough that I started to look for different solutions.

That is why current research progresses in the various fields of fundamental science and engineering look like a miracle to me after I have known them from books and articles. Thousands of passionate scientists and engineers have been tackling this problem very well! They have been finding the ways that mankind not only does not leave any further carbon footprints but also does not sacrifice the quality of lives.

One concept that have been widely researched for green energy future is the ‘Artificial Photosynthesis’, which was first anticipated by the Italian chemist Giacomo Ciamician during 1912. Literally, the Artificial Photosynthesis is a chemical process that mimics the natural process of photosynthesis in plant leaves to convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen. First, water molecules are photo-oxidized to release oxygen and protons. Then, carbon dioxide is reduced with electrons and protons to produce glucose, the energy source of plants.

What’s good with mimicking plants?

First of all, we can use atmospheric carbon dioxide, thus minimizing our carbon footprints. Even though, CO2 is emitted again when we burn products for fuels or chemical productions, we do not introduce extra CO2; hence, slowing down the rise in the global temperature. Second, the source for making valuable energy is far much sustainable than using limited amount of fossil fuels. We only need sunlight, water and catalytical system for photosynthesis. In addition, we can design the system to produce diverse fundamental carbon-based chemicals such as alcohols and hydrocarbons as we need. Third, we can make hydrogen gas with protons after water oxidation. If we succeed in producing hydrogen gas efficiently and storing it safely, we can move into more clean, secure and affordable energy future. High in energy, hydrogen gas when reacted with oxygen produces heat and electricity, which we can use even when it’s dark or where there is no wind or wave to produce energy.

Image by Dioxide Materials

Although, there are many rooms for improvement in technologies to compete with fossil fuels economically or even environmentally (ex. producing hydrogen using noble metals extracted and processed in energy-dense industry), I believe heading toward to less carbon-dependent future is the only way that we can choose for our future.

In the future, we will look more closely what researches have been made surrounding Artificial Photosynthesis. The more I study about the topic, the more I found concepts for clean energy linked and integrated. This sounds complicated, but attractive to study😊.

[Reference Websites]

https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Artificial_photosynthesis

https://www.iea.org/publications/reports/thefutureofhydrogen/

https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/hydrogen/tech.html

https://earthtechling.com/2011/10/artificial-photosynthesis-closer-to-reality/