Artificial photosynthesis turns carbon dioxide into clean air

​New York: Researchers have found a way to trigger a process similar to photosynthesis in a synthetic material, turning greenhouse gases into clean air and producing energy -- all at the same time.

The process has great potential for creating a technology that could significantly reduce carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas linked to climate change, while also creating a clean way to produce energy.

"This work is a breakthrough," said one of the researchers Fernando Uribe-Romo, Assistant Professor at University of Central Florida in the US.

"We are contributing to the development of a technology that can help reduce greenhouse gases," Uribe-Romo said.

The researchers created a way to trigger a chemical reaction in a synthetic material called metal-organic frameworks (MOF) that breaks down carbon dioxide into harmless organic materials.

Think of it as an artificial photosynthesis process similar to the way plants convert carbon dioxide (CO2) and sunlight into food. But instead of producing food, Uribe-Romo's method produces solar fuel.