Anybody ever wondered about this?

Green plants undergo photosynthesis to produce oxygen. In the process, water is splitted through photolysis and this results in production of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atoms. The oxygen is released, and hydrogen combined with carbon dioxide to form carbohydrate.

My idea is to trap the hydrogen before it is used up and funnel it to a storage tank, which then can be burnt to generate electricity. Theoretically, this could be done but then tiny nanoscopic devices will need to be integrated into the photosynthetic cells itself. The cells will then be supported by external nutrient agar so that it won't die by lack of food. With advances in biotechnology now, its not possible to genetically create a living cell with modified chloroplasts structure so that it produces more hydrogen when exposed to light.

The downside is that the green cells won't photosynthesise anymore since carbon dioxide isn't used. But then again if advances in biotechnology makes it possible to modify the chloroplasts structure further, then the green cells will be perpetually growing and self-sustaining. The only resource needed is oxygen, which is a by product of photosynthesis itself, water, which we have in plenty, and carbon dioxide, which we have so much that we don't know what to do with it.

The green cells then only needs to be put outside in direct sunlight. These green panels sort of work like solar panels, with the tubes connected on a molecular level to channel trapped hydrogen to a integrated power generating station. Or they could be used like fuel cells now, with the green panels on roofs of cars and a mini combustion engine that uses hydrogen as engines. Or they could be put up on roofs of recharging stations when electric cars are used in the future. Possibilities are endless.

Of course, for this to even happen, we need advanced knowledge in nanotechnology and biotechnology.

I dunno if this idea even makes sense or not. Just an idea.

This post has been edited by Elessar: Feb 5 2008, 02:45 AM

Well, even if the chloroplasts's structure were to be modified, the hydrogen to use as energy in photosynthesis has to come from somewhere, so the plan would only be 50% efficient, as the chloroplast would have to use at least one hydrogen atom from every photolysis reaction to make the sugar needed. (And a lot of hydrogen is needed too. Sugars are 50% hydrogen!)

Well if you read it carefully you would've noticed that I said photolysis produces hydrogen and oxygen. therefore the hydrogen comes from water.

Water is almost a renewable resource on Earth now. Plus, photosynthesis produces water as product.

Like I said, if chloroplast structure is modified, it can produce MORE hydrogen atoms so that dark reaction in photsynthesis only utilises the hydrogen required while the extra hydrogen produced is filtered and funneled outside. Of course, you'll need a lot of these green cells but then do remember that a tiny leaf can already have thousands if not millions of chloroplasts. The green panels I mentioned are basically mechanical leaves to trap sunlight and convert water to its elements.

Yes. And nanostructures are becoming a real life thing nowadays, eventually we will probably be able to harvest several atoms from things and transport them elsewhere, when we have small things, they can control things as small as themselves.

nice imagination.,
i hope someday this can be true and done..
so area which have green plant, can produce electricity..
amin...

It'l have to happen. What they really need is a way to make a giant leaf (real or fake) that does photosynthesis. Because we need giant things to suck up all the carbon dioxide, and at the same time, nanostructures could harvest the hydrogen, or it could have electrical current that runs up it which carries the hydrogen along, or something like that. Thatd solve global warming in 2 ways, getting rid of Carbon Dioxide and not using coal power plants

Exactly! Now you get what I mean.

We could modify existing plants to grow these huge leaves to maximise carbon dioxide absorption rate. Then, integrate nanostructures into living cells to carry hydrogen out of the leaves into integrated hygrogen pipes fed into a power generating system. The plan itself would have to be heavily genetically modified though.