According to a recent research, developments in CO2/CO electrolysis as well as advances in genetic engineering and selective breeding have laid the groundwork for the emergence of electro-ag to reduce the energy needs of vertical farming. "Fueled by acetate derived from CO2 using renewable electricity, electro-ag enables the heterotrophic growth of food crops. Unlike traditional controlled environments or conventional farming, electro-ag is not constrained by the same efficiency limitations of photosynthesis."
Instead, the efficient metabolic pathways of acetate utilization are harnessed to allow for at least a 4-fold improvement in solar-to-food efficiency, with future efforts potentially leading to an order of magnitude improvement in energy solar-to-food efficiency. "If the United States food supply was produced via electro-ag, land usage could be decreased by 88% while substantially streamlining food supply chains by decentralizing food production," the researchers claim.
There are many advantages of an electro-ag-based global food system, according to the researchers. "By improving efficiency and decreasing land usage, a large portion of Earth's land could be rewilded to restore ecosystems supporting natural carbon sequestration. Additionally, electro-ag systems can be deployed in extreme environments such as deserts, cities, or even on Mars where it is otherwise difficult to grow food. Electro-ag can also help avoid devastating food price spikes by reducing the impact of extreme weather and localizing food production. Electro-ag is poised to revolutionize the realm of food production by offering a sustainable pathway toward a more resilient and equitable food system. Future efforts should seek to further improve the energy efficiency of electro-ag while working toward the production of calorie-dense staple crops to help combat global hunger."
Crandall, Bradie S. et al. Electro-agriculture: Revolutionizing farming for a sustainable future. DOI: 10.1016/j.joule.2024.09.011
Source: cell.com