Inspired by a natural long-lived foam generated by the semi-tropical Tungara frog researchers have been able to generate a photosynthetic foam utilizing enzymes derived from bacteria, fungi, plants and of course the frog. The resulting foam is able to effectively convert carbon dioxide into sugar crystals, though with additional work researchers speculate that they may be able to effectively convert energy into any number of byproducts for a range of food or fuel usages.

The news of this development comes from researchers at the University of Cincinnati where local researchers have been working on the project for a number of years now. The choice for focusing on a non-living foam rather than some other form of bio-solar conversion method lies in the fact that such a product could easily and effectively be used in any number of environments – even those where living materials could normally not function such as high-carbon coal exhaust pipes – and be able to continuously produce the highest energy to material ratio possible without sacrificing any energy to sustain biological growth. Further the foam is able to convert carbon dioxide without needing any soil for sustainability, meaning it will have no impact upon the food production cycles of farms, and the highly porous nature of foam will help ensure the greatest surface-to-volume conversion capabilities possible.

Due to the relatively new nature of the development significant further measures must be done to improve the production and utilization process before the foam can be considered commercially viable. Researchers are also hoping to offer a number of possible enzyme byproducts such as sugar, oils or other consumable material from the foam’s CO2 generation process before they release the foam for general use which will take additional research time, however the foam could most likely be used commercially in industries in as little as a few years time.