Cambridge University scientists create fuel from 'artificial leaves'

A group of researchers from the University of Cambridge have designed floating 'artificial leaves' that can generate clean fuels from sunlight and water. These papers, which are essentially ultra-thin and flexible devices, are inspired by the process of photosynthesis, and their buoyancy can be used to generate a sustainable alternative. For gasoline without taking up space on the floor.

External tests, the results of which were published in Nature, showed that lightweight leaves on the River Cam, which flows through Cambridge in eastern England, can convert sunlight into fuel as efficiently as plant leaves.

It is the first time that clean fuels have been generated on water, and if scaled up, the synthetic papers can be used in polluted waterways, in ports or even at sea, and could help reduce the global shipping industry's dependence on fossil fuels.

Renewable energy technologies, such as wind and solar, have become much cheaper and more available in recent years, however, for industries such as shipping.