Artificial photosynthesis could be the driving force for the colonization of planets in the solar system. The process, which has existed naturally on Earth for more than 2.3 billion years, could be the key to humanity’s survival on alien planets.
Katharina Brinkert, Associate Professor of Catalysis at the University of Warwick, wrote about this in an article for The Conversation. She, along with colleagues, conducted a study whose goal was to understand how photosynthesis can contribute to the space future of mankind. The results of this study are published in the journal Nature Communications.
Brinkert explains that life on Earth owes its existence to photosynthesis, which allows plants and other organisms to collect sunlight, water and carbon dioxide, converting them into oxygen and energy in the form of sugar.
Despite the fact that this process is quite natural for the Earth, outside it it turns out that this is a very rare and valuable phenomenon.
Scientists have begun to explore artificial photosynthesis, which could solve one of the main problems of space travel – the human need for oxygen, which cannot be simply loaded into a spacecraft and taken with you on a trip to the Moon or Mars.
Brinkert says the International Space Station produces oxygen by refining carbon dioxide, a process called “electrolysis,” which uses electricity from the station’s solar panels to split water into hydrogen gas and oxygen that the astronauts breathe.
There is also a separate system that converts the carbon dioxide exhaled by astronauts into water and methane.
But both technologies are unreliable, heavy and difficult to maintain. Therefore, scientists are striving to find something more suitable. So the idea was born to collect solar energy (of which there is a lot in space) and directly use it to produce oxygen and process carbon dioxide in one device. The second component in the process will be water.
Such technology, according to the scientist, will not only be more efficient than existing ones, but will also have less weight, and this is extremely important for long-distance space travel, when fuel is worth its weight in gold.
To capture sunlight, scientists intend to use semiconductor materials that can be coated with simple metal catalysts that support the desired chemical reaction.
An analysis carried out by scientists showed that such a device could complement existing life support technologies, such as the oxygen generator used on the ISS.
Brinkert notes that people already know that on the Moon, oxygen can be obtained directly from the lunar soil (regolith). But the problem is that this would require high temperatures, while a device that would work on the idea of photosynthesis would require only room temperature and could function at the pressures that exist on Mars and the Moon. Therefore, it could be used directly in places of residence.
As for the water used in the process, the scientists believe ice could be used, which is believed to be in Shackleton’s lunar crater, where future monthly missions are scheduled to land.
The scientists’ calculations also showed that their technology would be able to work on Mars, despite the fact that the light intensity on the red planet is weaker than on Earth.
On Mars, the atmosphere is almost 96% carbon dioxide, so, as Brinkert points out, the red planet is practically the perfect environment for artificial photosynthesis.
In addition, photosynthesis systems would make it possible to create artificial atmospheres in space and produce chemicals needed for long-term missions, such as fertilizers, polymers or pharmaceuticals.
Also, according to the researchers, artificial photosynthesis can help solve the problem of “green” energy on Earth, since it could be used to produce fuel based on hydrogen or carbon (instead of sugar).
Earlier, GLOBAL HAPPENINGS also published a forecast of scientists about when people will be able to colonize Mars and other planets.
Source: Obozrevatel
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