A team of researchers from the Technion, the Technology Institute of Israel, has used membranes extracted from spinach leaves to develop a bio-photo-electro-chemical (BPEC) cell that produces electricity and hydrogen, using solar energy, according to an article on Hngn entitled "Electricity through spinach discovered".
The researchers added a compound based on iron to transfer electrons from the biological membrane to an electrical circuit to produce the current, making use of the natural process of photosynthesis with which the cell itself was created.
By channelling the current with the power of a photovoltaic cell (the main part of solar panels) which absorbs excess light, the energy can be further transformed into hydrogen gas. This transforms solar energy into chemical energy, and that's not all; if this hydrogen is burned, the chemical energy can be converted into heat and electricity. This process is similar to that employed with hydrocarbon, but without any carbon dioxide emissions. This is possible because the final product of the combustion is water.
This study has been possible thanks to the joint work of the best experts from the faculties of biology, chemistry and materials engineering at the Technion. Professor Avner Rothschild, leader of the study, said that "the combination of natural (leaves) and artificial (photovoltaic cell and electronic components), and the need to make these components communicate with each other, are complex engineering challenges that required us to join forces."
This work will make it possible to create new technologies to generate the clean and sustainable energy that our planet needs.
So Popeye was right, spinach is a real source of energy and hydrogen, in the literal sense of the word.
Source: proexpansion.com
