Artificial Photosynthesis - From Basic Biology To Industrial Application

Since the events crucial to plant photosynthesis are now known in molecular detail, this process is no longer nature's secret, but can for the first time be mimicked by technology. Broad in its scope, this book spans the basics of biological photosynthesis right up to the current approaches for its technical exploitation, making it the most complete resource on artificial photosynthesis ever published.
The contents draw on the expertise of the Australian Artificial Photosynthesis Network, currently the world's largest coordinated research effort to develop effective photosynthesis technology. This is further backed by expert contributions from around the globe, providing an authoritative overview of current research worldwide.

Tony Collings studied chemical engineering at the University of New South Wales and anthropology at the University of Sydney (Australia). He holds a PhD and DIC degree from London University (UK). Following postdoctoral work at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena (USA) he joined the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Industrial Physics division in Lindfield (Australia), where his research interests have been in the physics of liquids, ultrasonics and biophysics. He led a research team that won the Australian Institute of Engineers Research Excellence Award. He is the convener of the Australian Artificial Photosynthesis Network.

Christa Critchley studied botany, biochemistry and genetics at the University of Cologne and completed her PhD at the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf (Germany). Following postdoctoral work at CSIRO in Sydney, the Australian National University in Canberra and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA) she was awarded a National Research Fellowship at the Australian National University. She then joined the University of Queensland where she is now Professor of Botany and the Deputy Director of the UQ Graduate School. Her research interests are the biophysics and biochemistry of plant photosystem II and biomembranes. She is a founding member of the Australian Artificial Photosynthesis Network.

Foreword.

Preface.

List of Contributors.

Part I: The Context.

1 Artificial Photosynthesis: Social and Political Issues (Ian Lowe).

1.1 Introduction.

1.2 The Need for a Transition to Artificial Photosynthesis.

1.3 Some Associated Social and Political Issues.

1.4 Using the Available Photons: Towards Sustainability Science.

1.5 Conclusions.

2 An Integrated Artificial Photosynthesis Model (Ron J. Pace).

2.1 Introduction.

2.2 Natural Photosynthesis.

2.3 Artificial Photosynthesis: An Integrated Strategy.

2.4 A Technological Approach to Photosynthesis.

2.5 Program 1: Biomimetic Photoelectric Generation.

2.6 Program 2: Electrolytic Hydrogen.

2.7 Programs 3 and 4: Waterless Agriculture.

2.8 Conclusions.

Part II: Capturing Sunlight.

3 Broadband Photon-harvesting Biomolecules for Photovoltaics (Paul Meredith, Ben J. Powell, Jenny Riesz, Robert Vogel, David Blake, Indriani Kartini, Geff Will, and Surya Subianto).

3.1 Introduction.

3.2 The Photoelectrochemical Grätzel Cell (Dye-sensitized Solar Cell).

3.3 Typical Components and Performance of a DSSC.

3.4 Melanins as Broadband Sensitizers for DSSCs.

3.5 Conclusions.

4 The Design of Natural Photosynthetic Antenna Systems (Nancy E. Holt, Harsha M. Vaswani, and Graham R. Fleming).

4.1 Introduction.

4.2 Confined Geometries: From Weak to Strong Coupling and Everything in Between.

4.3 Energetic Disorder Within Light-harvesting Complexes.

4.4 Photochemistry and Photoprotection in the Bacterial Reaction Center.

4.5 The Regulation of Photosynthetic Light Harvesting.

4.6 Concluding Remarks.

5 Identifying Redox-active Chromophores in Photosystem II by Low-temperature Optical Spectroscopies (Elmars Krausz and Sindra Peterson Årsköld).

5.1 Introduction.

5.2 Experimental Methods.

5.3 Results and Discussion.

5.4 Conclusions.

6 The Nature of the Special-pair Radical Cation Produced by Primary Charge Separation During Photosynthesis (Jeffrey R. Reimers and Noel S. Hush).

6.1 Introduction.

6.2 The Special Pair.

6.3 The Hole-transfer Band.

6.4 Initial Investigations of the Hole-transfer Band.

6.5 Identification of the SHOMO to HOMO Band.

6.6 Full Spectral Simulations Involving all Bands.

6.7 Predicting Chemical Properties Based on the Spectral Analysis.

6.8 Conclusions.

7 Protein-based Artificial Photosynthetic Reaction Centers (Reza Razeghifard and Thomas J. Wydrzynski).

7.1 Introduction.

7.2 Natural Reaction Centers.

7.3 Synthetic and Semi-synthetic Reaction Centers.

7.4 Perspective.

8 Novel Geometry Polynorbornane Scaffolds for Chromophore Linkage and Spacing (Ronald N. Warrener, Davor Margetic, David A. Mann, Zhi-Long Chen, and Douglas N. Butler).

8.1 Introduction.

8.2 Results and Discussion.

8.3 Preliminary Results.

8.4 Conclusions.

8.5 Dyad Nomenclature.

Part III: Feeding the Grid from the Sun.

9 Very High-efficiency in Silico Photovoltaics (Martin A. Green).

9.1 Introduction.

9.2 Silicon Wafer Approach.

9.3 Thin-film Approaches.

9.4 Third-generation Technologies.

9.5 Conclusions.

10 Mimicking Bacterial Photosynthesis (Devens Gust, Thomas A. Moore, and Ana L. Moore).

10.1 Introduction.

10.2 Natural Photosynthesis.

10.3 Artificial Photosynthesis.

10.4 Conclusions.

Part IV: Photohydrogen.

11 Development of Algal Systems for Hydrogen Photoproduction: Addressing the Hydrogenase Oxygen-sensitivity Problem (Maria L. Ghirardi, Paul King, Sergey Kosourov, Marc Forestier, Liping Zhang, and Michael Seibert).

11.1 Introduction.

11.2 Sulfur Deprivation and Hydrogen Photoproduction.

11.3 Molecular Engineering of the Algal Hydrogenase.

12 Bioengineering of Green Algae to Enhance Photosynthesis and Hydrogen Production (Anastasios Melis).

12.1 Introduction.

12.2 Rationale and Approach.

12.3 Physiological State of the Chl Antenna Size in Green Algae.

12.4 The Genetic Control Mechanism of the Chl Antenna Size in Green Algae.

12.5 Effect of Pigment Mutations on the Chl Antenna Size of Photosynthesis.

12.6 Genes for the Regulation of the Chl Antenna Size of Photosynthesis.

12.7 Conclusions.

Part V: The Carbon Connection.

13 Manipulating Ribulose Bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase in the Chloroplasts of Higher Plants (T. John Andrews and Spencer M. Whitney).

13.1 Introduction.

13.2 Why Manipulate Rubisco in Plants?

13.3 What Constitutes an Efficient Rubisco?

13.4 How to Find a Better Rubisco?

13.5 How to Manipulate Rubisco in Plants?

13.6 What Have We Learned So Far?

13.7 Priorities for Future Manipulation of Rubisco in vivo.

13.8 Conclusions.

14 Defining the Inefficiencies in the Chemical Mechanism of the Photosynthetic Enzyme Rubisco by Computational Simulation (Jill E. Gready).

14.1 Introduction.

14.2 Computational Methods.

14.3 Results and Discussion.

14.4 Conclusions.

15 Carbon-based End Products of Artificial Photosynthesis (Thomas D. Sharkey).

15.1 Introduction.

15.2 What Are the End Products of Plant Chloroplast Photosynthesis?

15.3 Does End-product Synthesis Ever Limit Photosynthesis?

15.4 What Would Be a Desirable Carbon-based End Product of Photosynthesis?

16 The Artificial Photosynthesis System: An Engineering Approach (Dilip K. Desai).

16.1 Introduction.

16.2 Engineering Approach to APS.

16.3 Elements of the Engineering Approach.

16.4 Elements of Envisaged System.

16.5 Cyanobacteria.

16.6 Photo-bioreactor.

16.7 Theory.

16.8 Results.

16.9 Conclusions.

17 Greenhouse Gas Technologies: A Pathway to Decreasing Carbon Intensity (Peter J. Cook).

17.1 Introduction.

17.2 CO₂ Capture.

17.3 Storing CO₂.

17.4 Australian Initiatives: Capture and Storage Technologies.

17.5 Conclusions.

Subject Index.