Could food ‘made from air’ let us ditch farms?

Source: New Scientist

A Finnish company called Solar Foods makes food ‘from air’. First, they used the electricity from solar panels to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The resulting hydrogen provides energy to bacteria which can extract carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen from the air to make protein-rich organic matter. They do this more efficiently than plants grown via photosynthesis and the food is grown in vats in factories that take up much less land area than contemporary farms.

Food production is inefficient as less than 0.5% of the light energy falling on a field gets turned into food. By contrast, solar panels convert around 17% of the light energy falling on them into electricity. Solar Foods says it can turn electricity into food, via hydrogen, with an efficiency of 20%. (New Scientist)

Farming and land clearance produce a third of all greenhouse gases. Also, the clearing of land for farming reduces habitat for our wildlife. This process could help reduce the need for extra farmland and even allow some farms to return native habitat for the rewilding of endangered animals. This could be a more sustainable way to feed our growing population.

Read more: Can we really save the planet by making food ‘from air’ without farms? New Scientist, January 10, 2020.