The process of photosynthesis evolved in plants over millions of years, converting water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight energy into plant biomass and the foods that people and animals eat.
This process, however, is very inefficient: only about 1% of the energy contained in sunlight reaches the plant.
Scientists at the University of California, Riverside and the University of Delaware found a way to bypass the need for biological photosynthesis altogether, while also creating food independent of sunlight through artificial photosynthesis.
The research uses a two-step electrocatalytic process to convert carbon dioxide, electricity, and water into acetate, a form of vinegar’s main ingredient. Food-producing organisms then consume the acetate in the dark to grow.
Combined with solar panels to generate electricity to power electrocatalysis, this organic-inorganic hybrid system can increase the efficiency of converting sunlight into food, up to 18 times more efficiently for some foods.
“With our approach, we sought to define a new way of producing food that could overcome the limitations typically imposed by biological photosynthesis,” said author Robert Ginkerson, assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the University of California, Riverside.
To bring all the system components together, the electrolyzer’s power has been optimized to support the growth of food organisms.
Electrolyzers use electricity to convert raw materials such as carbon dioxide into valuable molecules and products. The amount of acetate produced has been increased, and the amount of salt used has been reduced, resulting in the highest levels of acetate ever made in an electrolytic cell to date.