Green Building Forum - Floating artificial leaf converts energy from sunlight into fuel Tue, 22 Sep 2026 15:37:30 +0100 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/ Lussumo Vanilla 1.0.3 Floating artificial leaf converts energy from sunlight into fuel https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=18019&Focus=304220#Comment_304220 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=18019&Focus=304220#Comment_304220 Mon, 13 Nov 2023 09:27:37 +0000 fostertom https://www.newscientist.com/article/2334240-floating-artificial-leaf-converts-energy-from-sunlight-into-fuel

But no one spells it out - where's the carbon coming from, presumably from atmosphere, or maybe from the pond water?!
Seems, at best it's capturing then pretty soon re-emitting carbon already in the cycle, rather than releasing 'new' carbon from fossil sequestration - as well as partially substituting 'harmless' green hydrogen for carbon, in this 'future' fuel mix.

“The crucial point is that we are not decarbonising the economy through techniques like these,” Reisner said. “Carbon is still a key component. What we are doing is to ‘defossilise’ the economy. We will no longer be burning ancient sources of carbon – coal, oil and gas – and adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere".

What does the team think? What about the embodied energy/carbon, rare elements etc, in making/maintaining the 'machinery' and collecting/distributing the product?]]> Floating artificial leaf converts energy from sunlight into fuel https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=18019&Focus=304235#Comment_304235 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=18019&Focus=304235#Comment_304235 Tue, 14 Nov 2023 12:04:58 +0000 Mike1 Posted By: fostertomwhere's the carbon coming from, presumably from atmosphere, or maybe from the pond water?!The water - alternative article here:

https://spectrum.ieee.org/artificial-leaf-hydrogen-syngas

Posted By: fostertomWhat about the embodied energy/carbon, rare elements etc, in making/maintaining the 'machinery' and collecting/distributing the product?
Good to have some alternatives but, as it's a prototype, it's early to know how such issues would be worked through.]]> Floating artificial leaf converts energy from sunlight into fuel https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=18019&Focus=304244#Comment_304244 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=18019&Focus=304244#Comment_304244 Tue, 14 Nov 2023 18:15:45 +0000 djh Posted By: Mike1The water - alternative article here:

https://spectrum.ieee.org/artificial-leaf-hydrogen-syngasNo that article says "A new artificial leaf is light enough to float on water, where it can soak up sunlight and carbon dioxide from air". So the answer is the air. There's no carbon in pure water, so it would have to rely on impurities or dissolved gases anyway.

The whole thing will never amount to anything anyway, IMHO.]]> Floating artificial leaf converts energy from sunlight into fuel https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=18019&Focus=304245#Comment_304245 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=18019&Focus=304245#Comment_304245 Tue, 14 Nov 2023 19:32:54 +0000 Mike1 Posted By: djhNo that article says "A new artificial leaf is light enough to float on water, where it can soak up sunlight and carbon dioxide from air".Reading more closely, it seems it can be either: "Depending on the catalyst used, the device either splits water to produce hydrogen fuel, or converts carbon dioxide into syngas"]]> Floating artificial leaf converts energy from sunlight into fuel https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=18019&Focus=304246#Comment_304246 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=18019&Focus=304246#Comment_304246 Tue, 14 Nov 2023 20:16:30 +0000 djh