alex_greene
Guest
Artificial Leaves Produce Liquid Fuel Through Photosynthesis
Wonder if they'll create one that fixes nitrogen to generate essential amino acids and synthesise proteins for a food source?
Technology Marches On: Artificial Leaves Producing Fuel
- Thread starter alex_greene
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Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWwUJH70ubM
alex_greene said:
It's a matter of time.
However, I can't tell you how many decades in the future that will be, though. It may be 10 years. It may be 50.
I think even the fuel-producing leaf is likely not actually in anywhere near a "good" position yet. While the article is optimistic, I suspect it's a bit too optimistic. I have some doubts if it is practical enough to simply be "shipped to the developing world" to solve their capital energy problems yet.
legozhodani
Banded Mongoose
Maybe a plant that would produce a better fuel than petrol, and improves the soil, and can defend itself and can be easily moved to other locations/planets?
Sir I present...
The Triffid...
What could go wrong?
Sir I present...
The Triffid...
What could go wrong?
alex_greene
Guest
That's the funny thing. Everyone thinks "leaves," and assumes "plants." They're more like photochemical solar cells, yielding different kinds of chemicals rather than electricity.
Those little artificial shrubs would only be designed to look like plants to provide some form of visual reassurance. Inside, they'd be like little chemical factories, quite possibly powered not only by lights but also by ambient air movements from atmo processors and the movement of people brushing past them.
But they wouldn't need watering or pruning. Maybe the occasional checkup to see if the internal bacterial stocks need replenishing (unplug dying leaves and plug in new ones, then take the drained leaves to a recharging station). And different leaves could be shaped differently, to indicate what chemicals they were intended to create: palmate leaves for amino acids, heart-shaped leaves for oxygen fixers, glossy black leaves shaped like oak leaves for fuel production for fuel cells.
Those little artificial shrubs would only be designed to look like plants to provide some form of visual reassurance. Inside, they'd be like little chemical factories, quite possibly powered not only by lights but also by ambient air movements from atmo processors and the movement of people brushing past them.
But they wouldn't need watering or pruning. Maybe the occasional checkup to see if the internal bacterial stocks need replenishing (unplug dying leaves and plug in new ones, then take the drained leaves to a recharging station). And different leaves could be shaped differently, to indicate what chemicals they were intended to create: palmate leaves for amino acids, heart-shaped leaves for oxygen fixers, glossy black leaves shaped like oak leaves for fuel production for fuel cells.
legozhodani
Banded Mongoose
Yeh, but gotta love the Triffids. Yes a lot of that is close to the stuff regarding some of the corals etc using bacteria to feed via photosynthesis. Some interesting studies there. An interesting direction. Thanks for the heads up on that.
Tenacious-Techhunter
Mongoose
What’s next... trees engineered to grow actual dollar bills???
“Why yes, little Jimmy... money does grow on trees!”
<countersnark>I ignored the article for the sake of comedy. So sue me.</countersnark>
“Why yes, little Jimmy... money does grow on trees!”
<countersnark>I ignored the article for the sake of comedy. So sue me.</countersnark>
alex_greene
Guest
You should have chosen to read the article instead, because your comedy leaves much to be desired.Tenacious-Techhunter said:
Tenacious-Techhunter
Mongoose
I did read it. Not that great an article. No useful scientific description whatsoever. Honestly, as scientific reporting goes, it’s just about a complete failure.
And I stated I ignored the article; not that I didn’t read it.
And I stated I ignored the article; not that I didn’t read it.
alex_greene
Guest
I like the idea that something like these leaves can extract materials found in the atmosphere - carbon from CO2, hydrogen and oxygen from water vapour produced by a number of processes including evaporated perspiration and breath, atmospheric nitrogen - and yield chemicals from basic photosynthetic processes. Other leaf-like photoelectric cells can generate electricity from interior lights, ensuring that not a single photon goes to waste and meaning that, even if a ship is coasting into a system with all its fusion fuel exhausted, it will never run out of power for life support, meaning that nobody will end up choking to death just two planetary diameters out of reaching orbit after a Jump.
And I note you still aren't denying that your attempts at comedy are paltry.
And I note you still aren't denying that your attempts at comedy are paltry.
Tenacious-Techhunter
Mongoose
Every comedic success depends upon an uncountable number of failures.
alex_greene
Guest
I should imagine that when uncountable failure ceases to be an occupational hazard and starts being the basis of one's whole identity that one could start to have a few problems.
alex_greene
Guest
I'll just ignore all your articles.
Oh man the possibilities in real life as well as gaming.
Imagine a high tl garden word that has a booming chemical industry in addition to its agriculture. A biotech firm's dream (just look at Monsanto). Plants that support other plants: Who needs insects to pollinate anything? Who needs to spray chemicals or pesticides? Lack of rain? We have a plant for that!
Or how about a legal "Grow" operation? The products of the plants could be precursor chemicals for illicit drugs or some such. And law enforcement could be sitting there scratching their heads wondering how the stuff is getting through customs.
Literally you are growing money on trees.
Imagine a high tl garden word that has a booming chemical industry in addition to its agriculture. A biotech firm's dream (just look at Monsanto). Plants that support other plants: Who needs insects to pollinate anything? Who needs to spray chemicals or pesticides? Lack of rain? We have a plant for that!
Or how about a legal "Grow" operation? The products of the plants could be precursor chemicals for illicit drugs or some such. And law enforcement could be sitting there scratching their heads wondering how the stuff is getting through customs.
Literally you are growing money on trees.
Since I am always interested in new biotechnology ideas for my settings I decided to follow up the article about the artificial leaves in order to see how serious and potentially useful the concept might be. I have to admit that the results of my little research surprised me - this is far more serious than I had expected. The man behind the development of the artificial leaves, Harvard professor Daniel Nocera, is one of biochemistry''s leading scientists with an excellent reputation and a nice series of awards. He founded the company Sun Catalytix to bring the technology of his artificial leaves to the market, but the costs proved too high, and in 2014 he sold his company to Lockheed Martin, where the work on the artificial leaves is still continuing as one of the renewable energy projects. Overall, the technology is indeed real, but it will take quite some time before anything reaches the market.
alex_greene
Guest
Five thousand years is a pretty considerable lead time for development ...rust2 said:
