Artificial Photosynthesis Yields Valuable Chemicals

[pErvinalia]

Another interesting development. Can't wait to hear what 'opinion' MM uses to debunk this one...

Tiny semiconductors and bacteria have been combined to create a system that uses sunlight to turn carbon dioxide into valuable chemicals.

Photosynthesis forms the basis of most life on Earth. However, it cannot draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere fast enough to match the rate at which we are releasing what was stored over millions of years. This has led to a quest to produce an artificial and more efficient version – ideally one that would turn the carbon into something we can easily use.
....
The work, described in Nano Letters, combines an array of semiconductor nanowires with Sporomusa ovata to turn carbon dioxide into acetate (C2H3O2−) using just sunlight and water.

The silicon and titanium dioxide wires use sunlight to produce a flow of electrons and have a large surface area for the bacteria to colonize. Using the electron's flow, the bacteria turn carbon dioxide to acetate. Genetically engineered E. coli exist that can turn the acetate into a variety of valuable products, including the fuel butanol, the pharmaceutical precursor amorphadiene and the biodegradable plastic PHB.

http://www.iflscience.com/technology/ar ... cal-riches

[mistermack]

Another interesting development. Can't wait to hear what 'opinion' MM uses to debunk this one...

Tiny semiconductors and bacteria have been combined to create a system that uses sunlight to turn carbon dioxide into valuable chemicals.

Photosynthesis forms the basis of most life on Earth. However, it cannot draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere fast enough to match the rate at which we are releasing what was stored over millions of years. This has led to a quest to produce an artificial and more efficient version – ideally one that would turn the carbon into something we can easily use.
....
The work, described in Nano Letters, combines an array of semiconductor nanowires with Sporomusa ovata to turn carbon dioxide into acetate (C2H3O2−) using just sunlight and water.

The silicon and titanium dioxide wires use sunlight to produce a flow of electrons and have a large surface area for the bacteria to colonize. Using the electron's flow, the bacteria turn carbon dioxide to acetate. Genetically engineered E. coli exist that can turn the acetate into a variety of valuable products, including the fuel butanol, the pharmaceutical precursor amorphadiene and the biodegradable plastic PHB.

http://www.iflscience.com/technology/ar ... cal-riches

It sounds promising, but there's probably a long way to go.
I don't know why you expect me to debunk it.
I've already posted on the potential for making biodiesel using algaculture, as well as plastics etc.
If this can make that kind of process more efficient, it's heading in the right direction.
After all, there's no shortage of solar power on the planet. Just a lack of technology for making it into something useful, at a price that is competitive.