Artificial photosynthesis

electron

Producing methane, formic

acid or carbon monoxide

Step 3: Producing
methane, formic acid,
etc. with metal catalyst.

Step 1:
Splitting water into
2H+ and O2 with
photocatalyst

Photocatalyst

Water

Metal
catalyst

2H+

Step 2: Separate 2H+ and O2 and send only 2H+

for reaction

Plants breathe CO2 and use water and sunlight to produce organics. Artificial
photosynthesis does this through photochemical process, producing organics, such as
fuel and substitutes for petrochemical materials, directly from water, CO2 and sunlight.
AP actively removes CO2 from the atmosphere in its process and the produced fuel is
therefore carbon neutral. As the fuel can be stored in a form of liquid, this can
potentially solve the intermittency problem of solar photovoltaic cells. R&D showed
remarkable progress in the last few years, breaking the record of energy conversion
rate every several months. Researchers are expecting large-scale demonstration in
2020s and commercialization in 2030s.
Where we are heading
The potential of AP is threefold. Firstly, it can actively remove CO2 from
atmosphere either through CO2 intake from large sources or directly from the air. This
carbon fixation feature is especially important for areas that lacks geological feature for
underground carbon storage. This makes AP an ideal option for carbon fixation.
Secondly, AP can provide sustainable source of fuel and substitute for plastics,
reducing our dependence on oil and natural gas. Thirdly, as AP stores solar energy in
a form of fuel, it can potentially solve the problem of intermittency of solar photovoltaic
cells.
Where we are
Current AP technology can be summarized in three-step process of chemical
reaction. In the first step, water is split into hydrogen and oxygen with the help of
photocatalyst. Second step is separating hydrogen and oxygen. Third step is reaction
between hydrogen and CO2 to generate organics. The technology is still in R&D
phase looking at 20 years+ timeframe of demonstration and commercialization.
The idea of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen has been around for
decades since the discovery of Honda-Fujishima effect. The world saw breakthrough
in the last few years. Toyota Central R&D Labs pioneered in 2011, using different
photocatalysts for water splitting and CO2 reduction at energy conversion rate of

Copyright 2015 Innovation for Cool Earth Forum

0.04%. Panasonic announced that they achieved energy conversion rate of 0.2% in
2012, surpassing that of plants and produced formic acid. In 2014, Toshiba reached
1.5%. Improvement of energy conversion continued. ARPChem, a research team
under METI Japan, went up to 2% in 2015. The advancement of energy conversion
rate is expected to continue.
In terms of reaction with CO2, we already saw methane and other materials for
fuel such as carbon monoxide and formic acid coming out of the tube.
Our challenges and way forward
In order to take this technology to commercially viable level, followings might arise as
key challenges.
The quest for catalyst materials continues. Materials for catalysts are often
costly and hard to manufacture. In addition, the catalysts are yet to achieve
long life operation time.
Separating hydrogen and oxygen after water splitting remains costly. This part
is crucial in terms of safety as well since hydrogen gas and oxygen gas are
potentially quite flammable.
Large-scale demonstration has not been conducted. When the system requires
large source of CO2, collaboration with carbon capture technology adds
another complexity in the system as a whole.
Sources of Inspiration
Interaction with hydrogen technology: Photocatalytic technology provides
us with new insights on hydrogen production, while AP development was also
inspired by progress in fuel cell.
Self-healing catalyst: Just like leaf regenerates itself, can we make a catalyst
that regenerates itself? Dr. Noceras lab assembled a catalyst that heals itself
unlike most catalysts today that decay quickly.

Copyright 2015 Innovation for Cool Earth Forum