ARTIFICIAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Photosynthesis is a process of converting carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight. Photosynthesis occurs in plants, algae, and many species of bacteria. Photosynthetic organisms can create their own food.  The replication of the natural process of photosynthesis is the artificial photosynthesis. This involves splitting up of water into hydrogen and oxygen by using sunlight energy. It can also be defined as taking carbohydrates and oxygen from sunlight, water and carbon dioxide. The process that permits the half of the overall photosynthetic reaction is photo-oxidation. The photo-oxidation process releases hydrogen and oxygen ions and is responsible for separating the water molecules. The photo-oxidation process is also called as half reaction. The hydrogen and oxygen ions present are responsible to reduce the carbon dioxide into the fuel. The external catalyst is needed to react to and to absorb the photons. So there is a need to create an artificial plant type fuel source. The series of approaches can be used for artificial photosynthesis such as photo electrochemical cell and photo catalytic water splitting. The researchers are developing many catalysts for converting the sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates. Some of the advantages are that the solar energy can be immediately converted and can be used for transportation and also homes.