Artificial photosynthesis converts CO_{2} to organic substances using only H_{2}O and sunlight, and hence enables the recycle of emitted CO_{2} . We have established an artificial photosynthesis technology that continuously produces formic acid –an organic substance– from CO_{2} dissolved in an electrolyte at normal temperature and pressure. We constructed a 1m~{2}-sized artificial photosynthetic cell, and demonstrated a solarto-chemical conversion efficiency of 10.5% that is the world record for large sized cells. We employed the combination of crystalline silicon solar cells and an electrochemical reactor loading original catalyst, and then optimized the electron transport and electrolyte flow to achieve both a practically large size and a high efficiency.
Artificial photosynthesis reaction system:
View of a one-meter square electrode (left) and an artificial photosynthetic reaction (right)