Major concerns:
To make this paper more useful the author should provide citations and information on current techniques in use and their strengths and weaknesses compared to the authors suggestion.
There are many concerns with this paper as the author provides little or no evidence to back up any of their statements.
The artificial photosynthesis system suggested by the author is sparse on any details and suggests "collecting sugars" from photosynthesis. Sugars are not produced directly by photosynthesis and so this idea is not amenable to the system suggested. Many proteins, co-factors and compartments are needed for sugar production. I suggest that the author reads a more detailed analysis of photosynthesis.
Below I provide more detailed suggestions on how to improve the paper, though not comprehensive.
p.2 first sentence 3rd paragraph "Unlike the natural photosynthesis, whose rate is relatively low and depends on plant species and ambient conditions"
rate of what? Also, please provide rates, numbers and a citation of what you are referring to
4th sentence
"In fact, natural photosynthesis yield is not necessarily low, but just adapted to the need"
yield of what? Again, please provide rates, numbers and a citation of what you are referring to
5th sentence
"Yet, one of the foremost challenges of sunlight-based technology is what to do when there is little or no sun?"
what about energy capture efficiency? what about energy storage?
6th sentence
"To address this intermittent nature of sunlight, an efficient photosynthesis system should mimic plants in their perfect absorption and tackling the light spectrum for their own photosynthesis"
what data supports that "plants" have perfect absorption? what does perfect absorption even mean?
7th sentence
"From hot and wet, to cold and rainy environments, plants efficiently capture light and develop intense vegetation with important organic matter produced (e.g. equatorial and boreal forests)."
Plants produce biomass on the timescale of months/years/10s of years this is not very relatable to the instantaneous demands of solar energy
p.3 2nd paragraph first sentence
"There is no doubt that earth’s climate will inevitably change over the next decades due to anthropogenic activities."
There is doubt. Have you surveyed everyone and asked them if there is doubt? Refrain from using absolutes and make sure to cite any statements made
p.3 2nd paragraph first sentence
"Artificial photosynthesis to produce synthetic sugar for fermentation and bioethanol production would be a promising method to focus on."
Why would it be promising? Because you say so? Do not make a statement if you cannot provide data to back it up
Dear Josiah,
Thank you for your comments.
Let me answer them one by one.
(by the way, it would be useful if PeerJ offers more text tool (color...etc) in the comment or feedback box and a preview option for a better control and follow up of the text provided by commenters or authors).
This is not a comprehensive research review to provide citations or references. Rather, it is a perspective for a conceptual approach towards fulfilling a gap in producing green and clean energy. This is a description for future approach not a review on the past. So, which kind of “evidence” would you like to see? There is no more evidence than the photosynthesis itself…
You seem to be "contradictory" in your comments: from one hand, you ask for “data” and from the other hand you do not believe in the "data" already available about the climate change!
You seem doubting about climate change while most, if not all, scientific reports tend to confirm it.
By your concern, you are questioning a longtime proven scientific fact about photosynthesis. Sugar production by photosynthesis is learnt from basic school to high and university levels. Without talking about Pubmed or Google, you can check any biological manual or textbook to see that sugars are described as the products of the photosynthesis system.
-5th sentence
"Yet, one of the foremost challenges of sunlight-based technology is what to do when there is little or no sun?"
what about energy capture efficiency? what about energy storage?-
This is also what I am insinuating to. This goes in the same direction I am talking about. A good photosynthesis system should offer a high light capture efficiency and efficient storage ability to avoid the intermittent nature of sunlight.
-6th sentence:
what data supports that "plants" have perfect absorption? what does perfect absorption even mean?_
The large distribution of plants in diverse light environment conditions, from weak to strong light intensities present the most evidence support of the photosynthesis applicability and the perfect light absorption. If plants are not able to perfectly absorb their needs of light in diverse conditions of light intensity, they simply would not grow.
How do ephemeral plants do for their photosynthesis? There are seasonal, annual, biannual and perennial plants. All of them capture light and perform photosynthesis to produce sugars at daily/weekly/monthly/annually basis, according to their genetic program and life cycle. Once we can establish an efficient photosynthesis system, the timescale would not much matter.
-p.3 2nd paragraph first sentence
There is doubt. Have you surveyed everyone and asked them if there is doubt?-
No, I did not. Neither does any researcher for his research, whatever the research domain is.
Do you know a lot of researchers who survey everyone or who use everything for their research of their published data?
Most scientific reports are alarming about climate change. Take a look at pubmed with keywords such as “climate change, sustainable energy…” and you will see how many
and you will see how many hits you will find and how they are alarming about climate change.
If you do not believe in all that scientific reports, I just invite you to think about the following simple facts:
How many peope in the world now and how many we will be in the next future?
How many cars, machines, factories and industrial activities producing CO2 compared to decades ago?
Are these without consequences on the CO2 levels in the atmosphere?
Data would come on later…
It would be promising because it should:
- provide clean energy.
- reduce CO2 level in the atmosphere.
Just think about it, and you will see how promising it could be…
