Cheaper petrol could be just around the corner with Australian scientists one step away from turning water and sunlight into fuel … the same way plants do
- Australian scientists have successfully replicated one of the crucial steps in photosynthesis
- Scientists hope the research will open up new possibilities for manufacturing hydrogen as a cheap and clean source of fuel
- Researchers found the protein had displayed 'electrical heartbeat' after being exposed to the sun, the same way plants do
- Dr Kastoori Hingorani said: 'The system uses a naturally-occurring protein and does not need batteries or expensive metals
- Hydrogen offers potential as a replacement for petrol, but until now, the way in which plants produced hydrogen was poorly understood
Australian scientists are one step closer from turning water and sunlight into an efficient supply of hydrogen-based fuel, new research has found.
An Australian National University team has successfully replicated a protein, which captures energy from sunlight in order to create biological systems, the same way plants do.
Researchers found the protein had displayed 'electrical heartbeat', which is the key to photosynthesis - a process used by plants to convert sunlight into oxygen and energy used to power their systems.
Dr Kastoori Hingorani and Professor Ron Pace hope the research will open up possibilities for manufacturing hydrogen as a cheap and clean source of fuel
ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis in the ANU Research School of Biology Dr Kastoori Hingorani said in a statement that 'water is abundant and so is sunlight.'
'It is an exciting prospect to use them to create hydrogen, and do it cheaply and safely,' Dr Kastoori Hingorani said.
The study found hydrogen offers potential as a zero-carbon replacement for petroleum products, and is already used for launching space craft. However, until this work, the way that plants produce hydrogen by splitting water has been poorly understood.
'The system uses a naturally-occurring protein and does not need batteries or expensive metals, meaning it could be affordable in developing countries,' Dr Hingorani said.
The way of the future: Australian scientists are one step closer from turning water and sunlight into cheap fuel
Co-researcher Professor Ron Pace said the research opened up new possibilities for manufacturing hydrogen as a cheap and clean source of fuel.
'This is the first time we have replicated the primary capture of energy from sunlight,' Professor Pace said.
'It’s the beginning of a whole suite of possibilities, such as creating a highly efficient fuel, or to trapping atmospheric carbon.'
Professor Pace said large amounts of hydrogen fuel produced by artificial photosynthesis could transform the economy.
'That carbon-free cycle is essentially indefinitely sustainable. Sunlight is extraordinarily abundant, water is everywhere – the raw materials we need to make the fuel. And at the end of the usage cycle it goes back to water,' he said.
The team found the protein had displayed 'electrical heartbeat' after sunlight exposure that is the key to photosynthesis
Scientists used a protein called ferritin, which is usually found in almost all living organisms and often stores iron but the team removed the iron and replaced it with the abundant metal, manganese, to closely resemble the water splitting site in photosynthesis.
The researchers also replaced the protein with a light-sensitive pigment, Zinc Chlorin.
When scientists shone light onto the modified ferritin, there was a clear indication of charge transfer just like in natural photosynthesis.
The possibilities inspired visionary researcher Associate Professor Warwick Hillier, who led the research group until his death from brain cancer, earlier this year.
'Associate Professor Hillier imagined modifying E. coli so that it expresses the gene to create ready-made artificial photosynthetic proteins. It would be a self-replicating system – all you need to do is shine light on it,' Dr Hingorani said.
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