Basic mechanisms of photosynthesis and applications to improved production and conversion of biomass to fuels and chemical products
- Georgia Institute of Tech., Atlanta, GA (United States)
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN (United States)
- Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
Natural photosynthesis, the result of 3.5 billion years of evolutionary experimentation, is the best proven, functional solar energy conversion technology. It is responsible for filling the vast majority of humanity`s energy, nutritional, and materials needs. Understanding the basic physical chemical principles underlying photosynthesis as a working model system is vital to further exploitation of this natural technology. These principles can be used to improve or modify natural photosynthesis so that it is more efficient or so that it can produce unusual products such as hydrogen, methane, methanol, ethanol, diesel fuel substitutes, biodegradable materials, or other high value chemical products. Principles garnered from the natural process can also be used to design artificial photosynthetic devices that employ analogs of natural antenna and reaction center function, self-assembly and repair concepts, photoinduced charge transfer processes, photoprotection, and dark reactions that facilitate catalytic action to convert light into, useful chemical or electrical energy. The present broad understanding of many structural and functional aspects of photosynthesis has resulted from rapid recent research progress. X-ray structures of several key photosynthetic reaction centers and antenna systems are available, and the overall principles controlling photoinduced energy and electron transfer are being established.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 273416
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/CP-450-21097; CONF-9602108-; ON: DE96007867; TRN: 96:004421-0021
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Research opportunities in photochemical sciences, Estes Park, CO (United States), 5-8 Feb 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of Research opportunities in photochemical sciences; PB: 264 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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