Chapter 1: The Growing Challenge of Protein Supply

Feeding the increasing global population with sufficient protein is becoming a formidable challenge, especially with the constraints of limited land and a rapidly expanding populace. As of May 2020, the world’s population was approximately 7.8 billion, projected to reach about 11 billion by the century's close. How can we ensure adequate nutrition while safeguarding the environment? One potential solution lies in the power-to-protein technique, which utilizes a minimal amount of energy to transform basic ingredients into a substantial quantity of protein.

The global population is anticipated to stabilize around 11 billion, with the rates of births and deaths balancing out. (Image Credit: Max Roser, 2020 — “Future Population Growth”)

Protein is an essential macronutrient necessary for various bodily functions, including tissue repair, hormone production, and enzyme synthesis. On average, an individual requires about 50 grams of protein daily.

However, the quest to provide sufficient protein is already straining the environment, exacerbated by the ongoing sixth mass extinction linked to human activity. An expanding population will likely worsen this dilemma, particularly as fertile land becomes scarce, limiting protein sources from both animals and plants. This situation compels us to further encroach upon natural habitats. While innovative farming techniques like indoor agriculture are emerging, there is an urgent demand for efficient protein solutions.

The available arable land will not suffice for a population of 11 billion. (Image Credit: Max Roser, 2020 — “Future Population Growth”)

Chapter 2: Understanding Power-To-Protein Technology

The concept behind power-to-protein involves utilizing the fundamental elements that compose proteins—namely oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen—and employing simple organisms to combine them. While this process is relatively straightforward in a lab setting, scaling it for commercial use presents significant challenges.

The first video explores innovative methods for feeding the growing population while protecting the planet.

To begin with, isolating the necessary building blocks is more complex than it appears. Although these elements are abundant, extracting them from air, water, or soil is not straightforward. For instance, obtaining oxygen and hydrogen from water necessitates electricity for electrolysis. Similarly, carbon can be derived from carbon dioxide, but this requires a process to separate it from other gases. Nitrogen, which is plentiful in the atmosphere, can be isolated through a cooling process. All these methods demand considerable energy, which can be environmentally detrimental unless sourced from renewables.

Once the building blocks are secured, bacteria, yeast, or fungi are employed to combine them, all of which can produce protein suitable for human consumption. Under controlled laboratory conditions, the yield of protein can significantly exceed natural sources.

The second video discusses how AI can help address the global protein shortage, providing innovative solutions for the future.

Scaling this process to make a meaningful impact on a global scale requires utilizing renewable energy and identifying more accessible sources for the building blocks. For instance, researchers believe nitrogen can be harvested more efficiently from waste streams. They have also devised a two-stage process that utilizes anaerobic bacteria in the initial stage, followed by aerobic yeast or fungi. This method reportedly achieves a protein mass-fraction of nearly 50%, indicating that the protein produced is comparable to the weight of the organisms themselves.

This concept is still emerging but is gaining momentum. A team at the University of Tübingen, led by Professor Lars Angenent, has recently published a comprehensive analysis of this process, focusing on non-genetically modified organisms. Should Angenent and other power-to-protein pioneers succeed, they could significantly benefit both human and non-human lives.