Enhancement of Photosynthetic Productivity by Quantum Dots Application
Murray, AJ; Love, J; Redwood, MD; et al.Orozco, RL; Tennant, RK; Woodhall, F; Goodridge, F; Macaskie, LE
Date: 4 April 2018
Publisher
IntechOpen
Publisher DOI
Abstract
The challenge of climate change promotes use of carbon neutral fuels. Biofuels are made
via ixing carbon dioxide via photosynthesis which is ineicient. Light trapping pigments
use restricted light wavelengths. A study using the microalga Botryococcus braunii (which
produces bio-oil), the bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides (which ...
The challenge of climate change promotes use of carbon neutral fuels. Biofuels are made
via ixing carbon dioxide via photosynthesis which is ineicient. Light trapping pigments
use restricted light wavelengths. A study using the microalga Botryococcus braunii (which
produces bio-oil), the bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides (which produces hydrogen), and
the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis (for bulk biomass) showed that photosynthetic
productivity was increased by up to 2.5-fold by upconverting unused wavelengths of
sunlight via using quantum dots. For large scale commercial energy processes, a 100-
fold cost reduction was calculated as the break-even point for adoption of classical QD
technology into large scale photobioreactors (PBRs). As a potential alternative, zinc sulide
nanoparticles (NPs) were made using waste H2
S derived from another process that
precipitates metals from mine wastewaters. Biogenic ZnS NPs behaved identically to
ZnS quantum dots with absorbance and emission maxima of 290 nm (UVB, which is
mostly absorbed by the atmosphere) and 410 nm, respectively; the optimal wavelength
for chlorophyll a is 430 nm. By using a low concentration of citrate (10 mM) during ZnS
synthesis, the excitation wavelength was redshifted to 315 nm (into the UVA, 85% of
which reaches the earth’s surface) with an emission peak of 425 nm, i.e., appropriate for
photosynthesis. The potential for use in large scale photobioreactors is discussed in the
light of current PBR designs, with respect to the need for durable UV-transmiting materials
in appropriate QD delivery systems.
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