Power-to-protein technology could help relieve drought-related famine and food insecurity

Famine and food insecurity in Ethiopia and similarly stricken areas could be mitigated through power-to-protein technology (PtP), according to a recent study from an international research team, including faculty affiliated with the University of Georgia New Materials Institute. 

 PtP technology works from a renewable power source and utilizes water electrolysis and gas fermentation to convert carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and oxygen gas into protein for food that can be consumed by people or animals; the protein is also known as a single-cell protein. PtP is a form of carbon capture technology that can be sourced from industrial off gases, power plants, biomass processing facilities (biogas or bioethanol plants), or direct air capture. The technology can utilize biomass from dried crops and other sources. 

 The team’s study utilized geographic information system (GIS) approaches to assess the feasibility of deploying PtP technology as either decentralized units (with mobility) or centralized (larger or fixed units) to help supplement nutrition for vulnerable people during drought-related food emergencies. The GIS data utilized in the study included key factors such as land cover, population density, population count, and the occurrence of droughts in Ethiopia. 

 The team determined localities most in need of PtP units and the number of PtP units to deploy for adequate relief. Their study model found population density to be a contributing factor in food insecurity. The researchers also found that centralized PtP units could be utilized after the emergency to help vulnerable areas sustain food security for longer periods, however decentralized units might be a better solution because of their mobility and ability to be rapidly deployed as needed.  

 The authors said that PtP technology offers a feasible method for providing nutrition to Ethiopians, and that PtP units could complement existing food aid programs to combat areas of the world with food insecurity. PtP technology and its food protein are novel and thus may face logistical challenges and social acceptance barriers, they noted.  

 “Deployment of power-to-protein technology in Ethiopia to provide doubt-related emergency relief and mitigate food insecurity,” was recently published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. The study team was comprised of M. Buchner, L.T. Angenent and C. Zarfl, of the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, in Tübingen, Germany; H. H. Nguyen and J.G. Usack of the University of Georgia. Joseph Usack is an assistant professor of food science and technology in the UGA College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, and a faculty member affiliated with the UGA New Materials Institute.

Schmitz, L. M., Kreitli, N., Obermaier, L., Weber, N., Rychlik, M., & Angenent, L. T. (2024). Power-to-vitamins: producing folate (vitamin B9) from renewable electric power and CO2 with a microbial protein system. Trends in Biotechnology, 42(12), 1691-1714.