"Reverse Photosynthesis" Process Discovered

‘Reverse Photosynthesis’ Process Discovered

A team of scientists from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden has discovered a natural process it describes as reverse photosynthesis.

Sci-News.com | April 5, 2016

“This is a game changer, one that could transform the industrial production of fuels and chemicals, thus serving to reduce pollution significantly,” said Prof. Claus Felby from the Department of Geoscience and Natural Resource Management at the University of Copenhagen, who is senior author of a study published this week in the journal Nature Communications.
In the process of reverse photosynthesis, the energy in solar rays breaks down — rather than builds plant material — as is the case with photosynthesis.
“You take a large sugar molecule to be oxidized; an enzyme called lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase, which is found in many fungi and bacteria; and some chlorophyll-containing green extract from leaves,” the scientists explained.
“Everything is mixed in a test tube and exposed to sunlight. The biomass is then completely or partially broken down.”

Figure 4: Proposed mechanism for light-induced electron transfer to LPMO. From Light-driven oxidation of polysaccharides by photosynthetic pigments and a metalloenzyme. D. Cannella, K. B. Möllers, N.-U. Frigaard, P. E. Jensen, M. J. Bjerrum, K. S. Johansen and C. Felby. Nature Communications 7, Article number: 11134 doi:10.1038/ncomms11134. Source: http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2016/160404/ncomms11134/fig_tab/ncomms11134_F4.html

<more at http://www.sci-news.com/biology/reverse-photosynthesis-process-03759.html; related links and articles: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160404090545.htm (Biotech breakthrough: Sunlight can be used to produce chemicals and energy. April 4, 2016) and http://news.discovery.com/tech/alternative-power-sources/reverse-photosynthesis-makes-biofuel-160404.htm (Reverse Photosynthesis Makes Biofuel. April 4, 2016)>