[Haichuan New Energy Development] Bacterial solar collectors

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Recently, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, used genetic engineering techniques to create a strain of bacteria. One of these bacteria is capable of converting light energy into acetic acid efficiently, while the other, its complementary strain, converts acetic acid into various useful compounds such as fuels and drugs. It is understood that the bacteria they have developed are capable of building their own \"solar collectors,\" which can use around 80% of the light energy captured to produce acetic acid. Acetic acid is a multifunctional chemical that can be used as an acidity regulator, acidulant, pickling agent, flavor enhancer, spice, and more, offering a wide range of applications. In real life, acetic acid is present in compound seasonings, formulated waxes, canned goods, cheeses, jellies, and more. It is worth noting that the energy conversion efficiency of this type of “solar collector” is extremely high, being four times greater than that of natural photosynthesis carried out by plant chlorophyll. Regarding this, researcher Sakimoto said, “Compared to inefficient chlorophyll, we have cultivated bacteria to automatically grow tiny semiconductor nanocrystals and covered the entire structure with these crystals.” These nanocrystals have a higher energy conversion efficiency than chlorophyll ； In terms of manufacturing costs, it accounts for only a small portion of the cost of solar panels. ” Furthermore, the entire process is one of self-replication and regeneration, making this technology highly environmentally friendly. Sakimoto said, “This technology combines biology with the ability to be applied in a wide range of carbon dioxide reduction products, enabling it to become an important alternative in industries such as petrochemicals in the future.” ” Regarding the optimization of this technology, chemistry professor Yang Peidong said, “We use electrons from inorganic semiconductors such as cadmium sulfide to provide light energy for non-photosynthetic bacteria, and the current focus of laboratory research is on finding light absorbers that are better than cadmium sulfide.” ”