Moscow. September 25. INTERFAX.RU – Chinese scientists have developed a method for producing starch from carbon dioxide, the Chinese Academy of Sciences said.
“The new method allows starch production to be switched from traditional agricultural plantings to industrial production and opens up a new technical route for the synthesis of complex molecules from carbon dioxide,” the statement said.
Currently, starch is produced mainly from agricultural crops, for example, corn, the process includes about 60 biochemical reactions, as well as complex physiological regulation. The theoretical efficiency of energy conversion is only about 2%.
Scientists at the Tianjin Industrial Biotechnology Institute (TIB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a chemoenzyme system in which starch is created through 11 basic reactions. The work uses the strategy of “building blocks”, including chemical and biological catalytic modules for the use of energy of high density and high concentration of carbon dioxide. According to scientists, the synthesis allows the production of starch from carbon dioxide with an efficiency 8.5 times higher than the biosynthesis of starch in corn.
“According to current specifications, the annual starch production in a one cubic meter bioreactor is theoretically equal to the annual starch yield from growing corn on one third of a hectare, excluding energy costs,” said study lead author Cai Tao.
Study co-author Ma Yanhe noted that such technology would help save more than 90% of arable land and fresh water resources. The technology would also help to avoid the negative impact on the environment of pesticides and fertilizers, increase human food security, promote a carbon-neutral bioeconomy and ultimately – the formation of a sustainable society based on biotechnology, the report says.
