We can say that perhaps one of the most impressive events in nature is photosynthesis. But photosynthesis is also surprisingly inefficient, transferring only 1 percent of the energy found in sunlight to the plant.
Scientists at UC Riverside and the University of Delaware say they have found a way to circumvent the need for biological photosynthesis, allowing them to produce food without sunlight through artificial photosynthesis.
Publishing their findings in Nature Food, the researchers used a two-step electrocatalytic process to convert carbon dioxide, electricity and water into acetate, the main component of vinegar. They then applied the acetate to food-producing organisms in the dark, allowing these organisms to grow. This method, they found, could provide a much-needed alternative to growing food in the face of the very serious climate crisis we face.
While the UC Riverside researchers stress that their method doesn’t require sunlight, they point out that it can work incredibly effectively in conjunction with renewable solar power. Interestingly, they note that they can combine their method with solar panels to generate the electricity needed to power the electrolysis. This will increase the conversion efficiency of sunlight into food by up to 18 times compared to some foods.
This means that although the method does not depend on the Sun’s energy, it can use sunlight and function using other forms of electricity generation as well.
During their research, the scientists discovered that a wide variety of foods could be produced in the dark using their method, including green algae, yeast and fungal-producing mycelium. According to their findings, growing yeast using their method is typically 18 times more energy efficient than growing it by removing sugar from corn.
The researchers also optimized their electrolyzer to produce the highest levels of acetate ever produced in an electrolyzer. They also found that crop plants, including cowpea, tomato, rice, green peas and tobacco, all had the potential to be grown in the dark using carbon from acetate. It is stated that acetate may even have the potential to increase crop yields, although more research is needed.
Also, the UC Riverside team were Stage I winners in NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge. As co-author Martha Orozco-Cárdenas put it, “Imagine one day giant ships growing tomato plants in the dark and on Mars – how easy that would be for future Martians…”
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