9 Fuel defossilisation

Floating farms of solar fuel leaves

McKie

Automated floating factories that manufacture green versions of petrol or diesel could soon be in operation thanks to pioneering work at the University of Cambridge. The revolutionary system would produce a net-zero fuel that would burn without creating fossil-derived emissions of carbon dioxide, say researchers.

The Cambridge project is based on a floating artificial leaf which has been developed at the university and which can turn sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into synthetic fuel. The group believe these thin, flexible devices could one day be exploited on a industrial scale.

Carpets of artificial leaves that would float on lakes and river estuaries, and use sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into the components of petrol and other fuels. “The crucial point is that we are not decarbonising the economy through techniques like these,” Reisner said. “Carbon is still a key component. What we are doing is to ‘defossilise’ the economy. We will no longer be burning ancient sources of carbon – coal, oil and gas – and adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, a process that is doing so much damage at present.”

The artificial leaf created at Cambridge takes its inspiration from plants, which use photosynthesis to create food. An early prototype consisted of chemical light absorbers and catalysts that turned carbon dioxide and water into a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. This combination is known industrially as syngas and it is an intermediary in the production of many chemicals and fuels.

Floated on water, the artificial leaf produces hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

McKie (2023) Floating factories of artificial leaves could make green fuel for jets and ships