Methane Single Cell Protein: securing protein supply during global food catastrophes

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Global catastrophes such as a supervolcanic eruption, asteroid impact or nuclear winter could cause global agricultural collapse due to reduced sunlight reaching Earth's surface. Human civilization's food production system is unprepared to respond to such events, but methane single cell protein (SCP) could be a key part of the solution. Current preparedness centers around food stockpiling, an excessively expensive solution given that an abrupt sunlight reduction scenario (ASRS) could hamper conventional agriculture for 5 to 10 years. Instead, it is more cost-effective to consider resilient food production techniques requiring little to no sunlight.

This study analyses the potential of SCP produced from methane (natural gas and biogas) as a resilient food source for global catastrophic food shocks from ASRS. The following are quantified: global production potential of methane SCP, capital costs, material and energy requirements, ramp-up rates and retail prices. In addition, potential bottlenecks to fast deployment are considered.

While providing a more valuable, protein-rich product than alternatives, the production capacity could be slower to ramp up. Based on 24/7 construction of facilities, 7-11% of global protein requirements could be fulfilled at the end of the first year. Despite significant remaining uncertainties, methane SCP shows significant potential to prevent global protein starvation during an ASRS at an affordable price — US$3-5/kg dry.

Source

• García Martínez, J.B., Pearce, J.M., Throup, J., Cates, J., Lackner, M. and Denkenberger, D.C., Methane Single Cell Protein: potential to secure global protein supply against catastrophic food shocks. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, p.1125. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2022.906704/abstract Academia OA, OSF Preprint

See also[edit | edit source]

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• Feeding Everyone No Matter What - The full book main page
  • David Denkenberger and Joshua Pearce, Feeding Everyone No Matter What: Managing Food Security After Global Catastrophe , 1^st Edition, Academic Press, 2015
  • Free Preview: Google books
  • Cover on Academia
  • Facebook page
• Alternative Foods as a Solution to Global Food Supply Catastrophes
• Resilience to global food supply catastrophes
• Feeding Everyone if the Sun is Obscured and Industry is Disabled
• Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions for Alternate Food to Address Agricultural Catastrophes Globally
• Feeding Everyone: Solving the Food Crisis in Event of Global Catastrophes that Kill Crops or Obscure the Sun
• Food without sun: Price and life-saving potential
• Cost-effectiveness of interventions for alternate food in the United States to address agricultural catastrophes
• Micronutrient Availability in Alternative Foods During Agricultural Catastrophes
• Preliminary Automated Determination of Edibility of Alternative Foods: Non-Targeted Screening for Toxins in Red Maple Leaf Concentrate
• Open Source Software Toolchain for Automated Non-Targeted Screening for Toxins in Alternative Foods
• Scaling of greenhouse crop production in low sunlight scenarios
• Potential of microbial protein from hydrogen for preventing mass starvation in catastrophic scenarios
• U.S. Potential of Sustainable Backyard Distributed Animal and Plant Protein Production During & After Pandemics
• Global distribution of forest classes and leaf biomass for use as alternative foods to minimize malnutrition
• Long-term cost-effectiveness of interventions for loss of electricity/industry compared to artificial general intelligence safety
• Long term cost-effectiveness of resilient foods for global catastrophes compared to artificial general intelligence safety
• Rapid repurposing of pulp and paper mills, biorefineries, and breweries for lignocellulosic sugar production in global food catastrophes
• Nutrition in Abrupt Sunlight Reduction Scenarios: Envisioning Feasible Balanced Diets on Resilient Foods
• Methane Single Cell Protein: securing protein supply during global food catastrophes
• Killing two birds with one stone: chemical and biological upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate plastics into food
• How Easy is it to Feed Everyone? Economic Alternatives to Eliminate Human Nutrition Deficits

Additional Information[edit source]

• ALLFED
• Dave Denkenberger Publications
• OSE Wiki "Synfood" (i.e. protein and other dietary components from microbial organisms fed on gas or other hydrocarbons)

Davos IDRC Conference[edit source]

• Feeding Everyone if Industry is Disabled
• Providing Non-food Needs if Industry is Disabled
• Vitamins in Agricultural Catastrophes
• Integrative Risk Management for Catastrophe Destroying 10-20% of Global Food Supply

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