Renewable energy will continue to take hold, but there are still some major hurdles along the way.in the case of Solar power, performance is hampered in northern regions with low solar radiation. And despite recent years of production cost reductions and efficiency improvements, average power conversion efficiencies above 25% are still rare. Silicon is currently the dominant material used in these solar cells, but that could change soon.And not thanks to cutting-edge materials like graphene, but through one of the oldest life forms on our planet: bacteria. Specifically, the rather infamous E. coli, which is known to wreak havoc on the human digestive system.
of innovative technology is the result of research conducted by a group of scientists from British Columbia, Canada. To improve the efficiency of solar cells, they chose a biogenic approach, that is, using living organisms to generate electricity. For that, they used pigments that bacteria use to carry out the photosynthetic process.Previous research has attempted to extract a natural dye and apply it over solar cellHowever, the process was costly and toxic. So the British Columbia team tried a different approach, this time based on genetic engineering. Instead of extracting the pigment, they engineered E. coli to produce large amounts of lycopene, the same substance that gives tomatoes their characteristic red color. spread over the Scientists have confirmed that bacteria can generate electricity even under very dark conditions, such as cloudy days.
This result is certainly encouraging, as the electricity generated in the previous experiment has doubled, increasing from 0.362 milliamps per square centimeter to 0.686. According to Vikramaditya Yadav, the scientist leading the team, this Biogenic PV cell.
It’s too early to assess the exact savings the new technology will bring, but Yadav stresses that these cells are very cheap and sustainably produced. The application of photovoltaic cells could also extend to subsea exploration.
Green Chemistry, Biosynthonics
Vikramaditya Yadav is one of the pioneers in new research areas such as medicines that could have a major impact on non-energy sectors. Yadav named this new field ‘biosynsonics’. In an article published several years ago in the journal ACS, Indian scientists pointed out the diminishing returns in developing new drugs. Currently, more than $1 billion investment and he needs more than 10 years development. These issues prompted him to explore new approaches and implement their benefits. Genetic engineering.
fundamentally, raw synthonics It is the discovery and synthesis of bioactive molecules, which can broaden the scope of chemical research. This process, called ‘metabolic engineering’, allows the synthesis of new drugs of interest to the pharmaceutical industry and medicine by altering the genes or metabolic processes found in microorganisms.
sauce: ACS, science news, tech expedition
