Scientists grow plants in complete darkness using artificial photosynthesis

Artificial photosynthesis can produce food without sunshine

Scientists are developing artificial photosynthesis to help make food production more energy-efficient here on Earth, and one day possibly on Mars

news.ucr.edu

Photosynthesis has evolved in plants for millions of years to turn water, carbon dioxide, and the energy from sunlight into plant biomass and the foods we eat. This process, however, is very inefficient, with only about 1% of the energy found in sunlight ending up in the plant. Scientists at UC Riverside and the University of Delaware have found a way to bypass the need for biological photosynthesis altogether and create food independent of sunlight by using artificial photosynthesis.

The research, published in Nature Food, uses a two-step electrocatalytic process to convert carbon dioxide, electricity, and water into acetate, the form of the main component of vinegar. Food-producing organisms then consume acetate in the dark to grow.

Combined with solar panels to generate the electricity to power the electrocatalysis, this hybrid organic-inorganic system could increase the conversion efficiency of sunlight into food, up to 18 times more efficient for some foods.

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PhenoMenal said:

This is quite remarkable!
There's a lot of news articles about it (just google "news artificial photosynthesis"), but for example see:

Artificial photosynthesis can produce food without sunshine

Scientists are developing artificial photosynthesis to help make food production more energy-efficient here on Earth, and one day possibly on Mars

news.ucr.edu

Summary:

Needless to say my first thought was how this can help the cannabis community lol
And I wonder if it's more affordable? seeing as lighting/electricity is the most expensive part of indoor growing.
There's also a Wikipedia page for artificial photosynthesis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_photosynthesis

Click to expand...

PhenoMenal said:

This is quite remarkable!
There's a lot of news articles about it (just google "news artificial photosynthesis"), but for example see:

Artificial photosynthesis can produce food without sunshine

Scientists are developing artificial photosynthesis to help make food production more energy-efficient here on Earth, and one day possibly on Mars

news.ucr.edu

Summary:

Needless to say my first thought was how this can help the cannabis community lol
And I wonder if it's more affordable? seeing as lighting/electricity is the most expensive part of indoor growing.
There's also a Wikipedia page for artificial photosynthesis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_photosynthesis

Click to expand...