A hybrid inorganic-biological artificial photosynthesis system for energy-efficient food production

Elizabeth C Hann^#^{1

2}, Sean Overa^#³, Marcus Harland-Dunaway^#^{1

2}, Andrés F Narvaez^{1

4}, Dang N Le¹, Martha L Orozco-Cárdenas⁴, Feng Jiao⁵, Robert E Jinkerson^{6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Center for Industrial Biotechnology, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
² Center for Plant Cell Biology, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
³ Center for Catalytic Science and Technology, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
⁴ Plant Transformation Research Center, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
⁵ Center for Catalytic Science and Technology, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA. jiao@udel.edu.
⁶ Center for Industrial Biotechnology, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA. robert.jinkerson@ucr.edu.
⁷ Center for Plant Cell Biology, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA. robert.jinkerson@ucr.edu.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 37118051
DOI: 10.1038/s43016-022-00530-x

A hybrid inorganic-biological artificial photosynthesis system for energy-efficient food production

Elizabeth C Hann et al. Nat Food. 2022 Jun.

. 2022 Jun;3(6):461-471.

doi: 10.1038/s43016-022-00530-x. Epub 2022 Jun 23.

Authors

Elizabeth C Hann^#^{1

2}, Sean Overa^#³, Marcus Harland-Dunaway^#^{1

2}, Andrés F Narvaez^{1

4}, Dang N Le¹, Martha L Orozco-Cárdenas⁴, Feng Jiao⁵, Robert E Jinkerson^{6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Center for Industrial Biotechnology, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
² Center for Plant Cell Biology, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
³ Center for Catalytic Science and Technology, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
⁴ Plant Transformation Research Center, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
⁵ Center for Catalytic Science and Technology, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA. jiao@udel.edu.
⁶ Center for Industrial Biotechnology, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA. robert.jinkerson@ucr.edu.
⁷ Center for Plant Cell Biology, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA. robert.jinkerson@ucr.edu.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 37118051
DOI: 10.1038/s43016-022-00530-x

Abstract

Artificial photosynthesis systems are proposed as an efficient alternative route to capture CO₂ to produce additional food for growing global demand. Here a two-step CO₂ electrolyser system was developed to produce a highly concentrated acetate stream with a 57% carbon selectivity (CO₂ to acetate), allowing its direct use for the heterotrophic cultivation of yeast, mushroom-producing fungus and a photosynthetic green alga, in the dark without inputs from biological photosynthesis. An evaluation of nine crop plants found that carbon from exogenously supplied acetate incorporates into biomass through major metabolic pathways. Coupling this approach to existing photovoltaic systems could increase solar-to-food energy conversion efficiency by about fourfold over biological photosynthesis, reducing the solar footprint required. This technology allows for a reimagination of how food can be produced in controlled environments.

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References

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A hybrid inorganic-biological artificial photosynthesis system for energy-efficient food production

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A hybrid inorganic-biological artificial photosynthesis system for energy-efficient food production

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