AN oil substitute made with "artificial leaf" technology could be powering cars, ships and planes in 30 years, a British expert has said.

Scientists have applied a twist to the process of photosynthesis by which plants harness energy from sunlight. Instead of producing organic material from carbon dioxide, as plants do, they plan to manufacture fuel from photosynthesising bacteria.

The Glasgow University team discovered the process could be driven by electricity instead of light. They hope to prove the technology in the next two years and to develop a small-scale demonstration system within five.

Professor Richard Cogdell, who heads the research, believes it could be a major energy source in decades to come.

Speaking to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Vancouver, Canada, he said: "After the oil runs out we have to be able to make, renewably and sustainably, dense portable fuels for transport.

"We're looking at photosynthesis to see whether we can learn to copy it in a more robust and efficient way."