Artificial plant guzzles carbon and produces electricity [View all]

Made of tiny bacteria, the new fake plant soaks up more carbon than its natural cousins, and produces electricity to boot

By Anthropocene Team
October 10, 2024

In an effort to one-up nature, engineers have created an artificial plant that captures carbon dioxide ten times more efficiently than its natural counterparts. And it generates enough electricity to power a lamp.

The fake plant is built with bacteria-based solar cells, and looks odd. But it offers a fun, novel concept to tackle two important issues: carbon dioxide removal and clean electricity generation.

Carbon dioxide is the main planet-warming greenhouse gas. It is also an important indoor air pollutant that threatens human health, write Maryam Rezaie and Seokheun Choi, electrical and computer engineers at the State University of New York at Binghamton, in their Advanced Sustainable Systems paper.

The European standard for a safe carbon dioxide threshold indoors is 800 parts per million (ppm). But studies report that carbon dioxide levels in indoor environments often exceed 2,500 ppm.

More:
https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2024/10/artificial-plant-produces-electricity-while-guzzling-carbon-dioxide/