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LIGHT FACTORIES: GOING ONE BETTER THAN NATURE
09 December 2003 - CSIRO
| Researchers are attempting to perfect photosynthesis, a process pioneered by plants and bacteria, in an ambitious scheme to generate new foods, fabrics and even electricity, sustainably. |
"Algae, cabbages and gum trees make sugars and starches by using the energy in sunlight," says CSIRO's Dr Tony Collings. "Artificial photosynthesis in a controlled environment will be able to offer an astonishing versatility." Products possible could include proteins and sugars for feeding humans and livestock, cellulose fibres for use as textiles, isoprene, rubbers and sealants, and even fuels such as hydrogen and ethanol. CSIRO researchers are working with the Australian National University and Adelaide University as well as overseas partners in a series of artificial photosynthesis projects. "Future prospects for this technology include using artificial photosynthesis for directly generating electrical energy," says Dr Collings. "Photosynthesis also uses carbon dioxide in the production of carbohydrates, and large scale artificial photosynthesis can play an important role in sequestrating carbon dioxide to counter global warming." A detailed description of artificial photosynthesis can be found in ECOS 117, the current issue of CSIRO's magazine on sustainability in the environment and industry. More information on this story from: Dr Tony Collings, CSIRO Telecommunications and Industrial Physics, 02-9413 7148 Other stories in ECOS 117 include:
Lessons on Fire: new understanding of the role and effects of fire, grazing, and climate change in Australia's high country
Rural remote control: small distributed computer devices reporting from selected sites in a rural environment, even from inside a dairy cow, will revolutionise farming and land management
Towards the forever fuel: a serious look at 'the hydrogen economy' of the future, the case for and the case against
One golden pond: a simple but ingenious solar pond which generates cheap heat energy and helps restore salt-laden pastures
... and many more.
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About: CSIRO
CSIRO is Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.As one of the world's largest and most diverse scientific global research organisations, work touches every aspect of Australian life: from the molecules that build life to the molecules in space. Working from sites across the nation and around the globe, our 6500 staff are focussed on providing new ways to improve quality of life, as well as the economic and social performance of a number of industry sectors, through research and development. These sectors are: Agribusiness
Energy and Transport
Environment and Natural Resources
Health
Information, Communication and Services
Manufacturing
Mineral Resources |
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