Driving on sunshine: clean, usable liquid fuels made from solar power

Researchers have developed a solar-powered technology that converts carbon dioxide and water into liquid fuels that can be added directly to a car-s engine as drop-in fuel. A photoreactor with an artificial leaf working under solar irradiation. Credit: Motiar Rahaman Shining sunlight on the artificial leaves and getting liquid fuel from carbon dioxide and water is an amazing bit of chemistry Motiar Rahaman The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, harnessed the power of photosynthesis to convert CO2, water and sunlight into multicarbon fuels - ethanol and propanol - in a single step. These fuels have a high energy density and can be easily stored or transported. Unlike fossil fuels, these solar fuels produce net zero carbon emissions and completely renewable, and unlike most bioethanol, they do not divert any agricultural land away from food production. While the technology is still at laboratory scale, the researchers say their -artificial leaves- are an important step in the transition away from a fossil fuel-based economy. The results are reported in the journal Nature Energy .