Chinese Scientists Turn CO2 Into Food In Major Scientific Breakthrough

In a remarkable scientific breakthrough, Chinese researchers have developed a method to convert methanol into white sugar, bypassing the need to grow sugar cane or sugar beets. Using a biotransformation system, the team claims that captured carbon dioxide can be converted into food.

The team at the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology has developed an in vitro biotransformation (ivBT) system that synthesises sucrose from methanol, a low-carbon chemical that is derived from industrial waste or carbon dioxide. By utilising enzymes to convert methanol, researchers have presented a sustainable alternative to traditional agriculture.

"Artificial conversion of CO2 into food and chemicals offers a promising strategy to address both environmental and population-related challenges while contributing to carbon neutrality," the study published in the Science Bulletin highlighted.

The Tianjin researchers built on the work of scientists at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, who developed a low-temperature method to convert carbon dioxide into methanol in 2021.

The team managed to achieve an impressive conversion rate of 86 per cent, which marks a significant milestone in the field of biomanufacturing, according to a report in the South China Morning Post. The system not only synthesises sucrose but also produces starch, using less energy than traditional methods.

"In vitro biotransformation (ivBT) has emerged as a highly promising platform for sustainable biomanufacturing. In this work, we successfully designed and implemented an [ivBT] system for sucrose synthesis from low-carbon molecules," the researchers said.

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Based on the initial success, the researchers adapted the ivBT system to convert a variety of compounds, including fructose, amylose, amylopectin, cellobiose and cellooligosaccharides.

Excessive CO2 emissions have caused a global surface temperature increase of at least 1.1 degrees Celsius. With the global population expected to grow to 10 billion by the end of the century, the demand for food is expected to double.

However, the chemical reduction of carbon dioxide has opened up the possibility of using the captured greenhouse gas as a raw material for the sustainable biosynthesis of various chemicals.