Three-Magnitude Upscaling of the Microbial Two-Stage Power-to-Food Process
Abstract
Technical Description:In this project, our central aim is to address issues of food security, surplus renewable electricity, and CO2, utilization by advancing a paradigm-shifting technology known as Power-to-Food (PtF). This technology uses renewable energy and CO2, to produce edible foodcommodities that will help secure the food sector and partly decouple land use from food production, thereby,conserving this limited resource. At the core of the PtF system is a two-stage microbial process, requiring a source of CO2 and an e,lectrolyzer to supply hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2). In the 1st-stage of the bioprocess, the electron donor (H2) and the carbon dono,r (CO2) are fed to an acetogenic culture of anaerobic bacteria, which convert H2 and CO2 into acetate. In the 2nd-stage, the dilute,acetate solution is fed to heterotrophic fungi together with O2 to produce fungal biomass. Edible protein and essential vitamins, wh,ich are present in the fungal biomass, can be used for (complete) human nutrition. The novelty of this project is to engineer a thre,e-magnitude scale-up of our two-stage PtF bioprocess with a thermophilic acetogen using raw biogas as a CO2 source stream.Relevance,to ONR:The design of our PtF system could be modified to serve the specific demands of the Navy. This project will demonstrate the s,calability of the technology, which is an important feature when designing new applications. It should also be possible to design a,PtF system that is mobile, self-powered, and semi-automated. With these additional features, one could envision PtF serving a variet,y of applications in the field. For example, small- to medium-sized turnkey PtF modules could be strategically deployed to military,zones during combat situations to provide a backup food system in the event of major supply chain disruptions. To achieve such a sel,f-powered system, PV panels and a thermo-catalytic reformer to convert woody biomass or waste residues into gaseous components (i.e.,, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide) could be integrated. These technologies have already reached market maturity.US Collabo,rators:Rose, Patrick (ONR Program Officer)Desired Outcomes of Research Effort:Journal Articles; Conference Presentations; Technical,Upscaling; Modelling Tools; Basic Research
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Nov 04, 2022
- Source ID
- N629092312010
Entities
People
- Lars Ottosen
Organizations
- Aarhus University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy