Neo-Carbon Food concept: A pilot-scale hybrid biological-inorganic system with direct air capture of carbon dioxide

The pace at which the human population is growing raises serious concerns related to food security while at the same time conventional agriculture-based food production is becoming a major cause of environ-mental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Numerous solutions have been proposed to boost food production among which edible microbial biomass is considered a promising alternative to conventional sources of food and feed with lower environmental footprint. This work introduces the Neo-Carbon Food concept that is a pilot-scale hybrid biological-inorganic process suitable for the production of microbial biomass. The concept includes integrated hydrogen production by water electrolysis, direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide, and its subsequent assimilation by autotrophic hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria (HOB). The hydrogen production with in situ electrolysis achieved specific energy consumption just below 100 kWh/kgH(2) while the specific energy consumption of DAC was around 20 kWh/kg(CO2). (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Automated summary

The rapid growth of human population is causing concerns about food security, while conventional agriculture is contributing to environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Edible microbial biomass is seen as a promising alternative with lower environmental impact for boosting food production. The Neo-Carbon Food concept introduces a hybrid biological-inorganic process for microbial biomass production, utilizing hydrogen production, direct air capture of CO2, and assimilation by hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria.