Scientists have found a way to bypass the biological photosynthesis process that powers plant life by using electricity, and not to power lightbulbs. According to the researchers, their “electro-agriculture” method directly converts CO₂ into a nutrient-rich organic molecule that plants could “consume” as food.
The researchers’ method uses a two-step “electrocatalytic” process to convert carbon dioxide, electricity, and water into acetate. Notably, the method relies on plants that have been genetically modified to consume acetate. Mushrooms, yeast, and algae can already be grown like this, which can in turn be used to produce fuel or biodegradable materials.
To genetically engineer acetate-eating plants, the researchers are taking advantage of a metabolic pathway that germinating plants use to break down food stored in their seeds. This pathway is switched off once plants become capable of photosynthesis, but switching it back on would enable them to use acetate as a source of energy and carbon.
The initial research focused on tomatoes and leafy greens but the team says it plans to work on staple crops in the future. The authors also say electro-agriculture could produce egg and dairy proteins from acetate-fueled precision fermentation or for lab-grown meat.
According to the researchers, if electro-agriculture were used to grow all food in the United States, it could reduce the land needed for farming by more than 90%. Of course that would require an overhaul of the entire global food system, as well as the monumental hurdle of overcoming consumer fears around genetically modified foods.
The technology does, however, have great potential for space travel. The research was submitted to NASA’s “Deep Space Food Challenge” where it was a Phase I winner. “Imagine someday giant vessels growing tomato plants in the dark and on Mars—how much easier would that be for future Martians?” said co-author Martha Orozco-Cárdenas, director of the UC Riverside Plant Transformation Research Center.
The Deep Space Food Challenge is an international competition where prizes are awarded to teams to create novel and game-changing food technologies that require minimal inputs and maximize safe, nutritious, and palatable food outputs for long-duration space missions. (Sources: UC Riverside News, University of Delaware, SciTechDaily)
