How to Harness Energy from Plants?

Plants are the living organisms that can live on land and/or water. Plants are the backbone of all lives on this Earth. Plants are essential natural resource for human and animal wellbeing. Earth is called “green planet” due to the presence of plants.  It is impossible for life to sustain in this planet Earth without plants.

Plants are the main source of food for all animals including human beings.  But plants manufacture their own food with the help of carbon dioxide, water and sunlight. This process is called Photosynthesis. Plants are unique organisms in our planet because of Photosynthesis.

Plants convert and store the light energy in the form of carbohydrates during Photosynthesis. This process takes place in the leaves (chlorophyll) by the use of carbon-dioxide and water. The manufactured food is stored in the form of fruits, seeds, tuberous roots, vegetables, fruits, grains, cereals, leaves, seeds, etc.

Plants like cotton and jute provide yarn for making fabric. Trees like teak, rosewood, banyan, peepal etc. provide wood for making shelter, furniture etc. Plants are the raw material for the manufacture of paper and pencil. There are several medicinal plants. They are tulsi, neem, ajwain etc. They cure our illness.

Plants give out oxygen during photosynthesis. Oxygen gas is an important constituent of air. All animals breathe in oxygen given out by plants in order to survive. The process of Photosynthesis help plants maintain the percentage of oxygen in the air. If plants and trees are destroyed, rainfall will become scarce and scanty. Plants also keep the environment cool and prevent global warming. If plants and trees are cut down animal life will perish.

All the species of plants and trees should be cultivated with care. They should not be allowed to become rare and extinct. If we conserve the plant life we are protecting our biodiversity and the ecosystem. All the plant species should be cultivated because animals depend on them directly or indirectly.

Human beings are the most evolved species on this planet. We have well developed brain and various other skills. We are blessed with intelligence, knowledge and wisdom.  We have carried out several research on the plant life and their importance. Plant life is a gift of nature to mankind. So, it is the duty of all human beings to protect, conserve plant life. If we protect plant life, we are protecting ourselves. Plants are one of the Natural Resources like water, minerals, rocks etc.

Plants and animals depend on each other for survival. They depend upon each other because each provides something the other needs. Trees provide shade, a place to live, food for nourishment. Animals spread the seeds of plants and help with pollination. Honey is a plant product supplied by insects, and is useful in many ways. Plants provide oxygen, which is essential for breathing and we provide carbon dioxide to plants for photosynthesis. Therefore plants and animals must coexist. 

Photosynthesis is a process where green plants use sunlight to synthesize food from carbon dioxide and water.  6 molecules of carbon dioxide combine with 6 molecules of water to form 1 molecule of glucose and 6 molecules of oxygen. Oxygen is the byproduct of photosynthesis which is required for breathing by all living things.

During photosynthesis, plants trap solar energy and store the same within the chemical bonds of glucose molecules. That means plants are working just like photo voltaic cells. In photo voltaic cells, solar energy is harnessed. In plants too, sun’s energy is being harnessed during photosynthesis.

Renewable Energy is the energy generated from natural resources. Energy that can be harvested from sun, wind, water, biomass, and wave are renewable sources of energy. Energy obtained from these sources does not run out. They can be replenished, reused and recycled. These energy sources do not produce carbon compounds or greenhouse gases. They do not pollute the environment.

Energy that can be harnessed from plants during photosynthesis is also renewable source of energy. This energy is a clean energy and it will not pollute the environment. This energy can be replenished, reused and recycled.  Energy harnessed during photosynthesis does not run out. How to harness energy during photosynthesis?

We can harness energy during photosynthesis in the following ways:

Reverse Photosynthesis: Recent research on photosynthesis has indicated that we can reverse photosynthesis. In the process of Reverse Photosynthesis, the solar energy breaks down the plant material glucose, instead of building it. Scientists from the University of Copenhagen, took a huge molecule of sugar called lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase. This sugar molecule is an enzyme found in bacteria and fungi. This sugar molecule is added with a green extract of chlorophyll from leaves.  They mixed both the components in a test tube and exposed it to sunlight. After five minutes of exposure to sunlight the large sugar molecule breaks down into smaller constituents. These smaller constituents can be made use of in producing ethanol. 

In the reverse photosynthesis process, the enzymes use atmospheric oxygen and the sun’s rays to break down and transform carbon bonds in the plant material instead of building plants and producing oxygen as in the case of photosynthesis. Reverse Photosynthesis can be achieved without sunlight also. When exposed to sunlight, the process takes only 5 minutes. But it would take several hours or days to achieve the same transformation in dark.  From this discovery it is very clear that we can produce biofuels and biochemical with the help of solar energy at a lower temperature with enhanced energy efficiency and at a low cost. Reverse Photosynthesis has the potential to break down the chemical bonds between carbon and hydrogen. That means by reversing photosynthesis plant sourced methane can be converted into methanol, a liquid fuel. Further research and development is required before the discovery can directly benefit society.

Artificial Photosynthesis: Artificial photosynthesis is a chemical process that replicates the natural process of photosynthesis. This is a process that converts sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen. Plants are the storehouse of energy. They are locking the solar energy within the chemical bonds of glucose molecules. That means plants just do not produce energy but also have the capacity to store it. Following are the major steps involved in artificial photosynthesis.

They are: 1. Sunlight trapping and moving electrons to the reaction centres. 

2. Splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.3. Reducing Carbon dioxide.

Sunlight can be captured with the help of titanium dioxide nanoparticles as it will increase the surface area. Therefore light capturing potential of the surface increases. When titanium oxide is added with a dye immersed in an electrolyte with a platinum cathode produces electric current. This current can be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Now solar energy is stored in chemical bonds of hydrogen.  Scientists are researching on the most efficient form of naturally occurring ribulose biphosphate, with a view to making a wholly artificial nanotechnology-based version that is more efficient to reduce carbon dioxide.

Artificial photosynthesis works at its best in the lab. But it does not work on the large scale. Replicating what happens naturally in green plants is not a simple task. The best alternative will be that scientists can make artificial plants that behave like original ones and can generate eco-friendly fuel.