CHENNAI: Inspired by the process of how a leaf converts carbon dioxide and water into oxygen during the process of photosynthesis, Julian Melchiorri, a graduate of the Royal College of Art, London, has created a biological leaf that can produce oxygen like natural leaves do. This artificial biological leaf called the Silk Leaf, absorbs water and light to produce oxygen just like a plant, and this could be the start to enabling long-distance space travel.
Julian has been working on this project, which is part of the final year show of Royal College of Art’s Innovation Design Engineering course in collaboration with Tufts University, Boston, US.
Julian’s project consists of chloroplasts suspended in a matrix made of silk protein. These chloroplasts are extracted from actual plant cells that are suspended in material made from silk protein. “These silk materials have an amazing property to stabile organelles or organic molecules inside its own matrix. I extracted plant cells and placed them inside these silk materials,” says Julian in the project video that was first posted on www.dezeen.com.
Touted to be useful for a space journey, a report in www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com says, “The problem with using natural foliage on our interstellar explorations is that plants may not flourish in zero gravity as much as we’d need them to. But since they’re a better way to produce oxygen than simply trying to carry countless tanks full of O2, Melchiorri wanted to engineer a better alternative that would easy survive the rigours of space travel.”
Julian also mentions that his idea was to use the efficiency of nature in a man-made environment. “I created some lighting out of this material, using the light to illuminate the house but at the same time to create oxygen for us. It could (also) be used for outdoor applications, facades and ventilation systems. You can absorb air from outside, pass it through these biological filters and then bring oxygenated air inside,” he says.
Scott Sutherland, Meteorologist, on www.theweathernetwork.com says, “Contrary to what Melchiorri says, plants don’t necessarily have a hard time growing in zero gravity (as studies have shown). Regardless of that, taking plants on a long space journey to provide the crew with oxygen wouldn’t likely be the best option, as they would consume valuable resources (nutrients and water) and take up plenty of space (thus requiring a larger spacecraft that consumes more fuel). With the development of Silk Leaf, though, created from silk fibres and plant chloroplasts, you could line the interior of your spacecraft with it and it would produce oxygen as long as it was supplied with a little water and the ship’s lights were still functioning.”
— kaviya@newindianexpress.com
