Farming is destroying the planet. But there could be a much more environmentally friendly way to feed ourselves: using renewable energy to turn carbon dioxide (CO2) into food.
“This is becoming a reality,” says Pasi Vainikka at Solar Foods. The company is building the first commercial-scale factory, near Helsinki in Finland, which will be able to make food directly from CO2.
At the factory, renewable electricity will be used to break down water to produce hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen will be added to large containers, where the bacteria grow, along with CO2 and ammonia(NH3) to provide carbon and nitrogen separately. Some of the CO2 will be taken directly from the air at a visitors’ centre at the factory, Vainikka says, and the rest will come from industrial sources. The end result will be a yellow powder called Solein that is made of bacterial cells and is up to 70 per cent protein. It can be used as an ingredient in all kinds of foods, from meat alternatives to grains and snacks. “We are aiming at replacing animal-sourced proteins, which we think have the highest environmental impact,” says Vainikka.
Solein was approved as a food ingredient in Singapore in October 2022, and Solar Foods is awaiting approval in the UK, the European Union and the US.
Compared with plant crops, Solein will use 100 times less water per kilogram of protein produced, 20 times less land—including the land used for energy production—and produce a fifth as much CO2, according to Solar Foods. Compared with beef, a kilogram of protein can be produced using 600 times less water and 200 times less land, again counting the land used for energy production, while producing 200 times less CO2, says the company.
There are other benefits, too: factories could be situated anywhere in the world and production won’t be affected by weather extremes. “With Solar Foods and other companies scaling up(扩大) their systems, this is truly stepping in a new age of agriculture,” says Dorian Leger at Connectomix Bio in Germany.
12. What can we learn about Solein from paragraph 3?
A.It was used as feed for animals at first. | B.Up to 70 per cent of it can be recycled. |
C.It is made from hydrogen and oxygen. | D.It can be applied to food production. |
13. What advantage does Solein have in producing a kilo of protein?
A.It uses 600 times less land than beef. | B.It produces 200 times less CO2 than beef. |
C.It uses 200 times less water than plant crops. | D.It produces 100 times less CO2 than plant crops. |
14. What is Dorian Leger’s attitude towards the future of Solein?
A.Positive. | B.Doubtful. | C.Ambiguous. | D.Tolerant. |
15. Which can be the best title for the text?
A.CO2 can be recycled to stimulate local economy |
B.New food strategy reduces big questions on health |
C.A factory will start making green food from air and electricity |
D.Campaigners recommend ways to reduce climate impact of farming |