Electron4Protein aims to set the basis to produce protein out of electricity supply (H2/O2 production) and valorised industrial by-products (CO2 + NH4+). The high efficiency on transforming simple products into high-protein biomass will reduce the environmental impacts of current agro-systems, while ensuring global food stability and nutrition all year round, in any part of the Earth and beyond (e.g. space exploration). Electron4Protein will contribute to the next food revolution.

Protein production beyond meat and plant is needed to ensure next generations global food security. Current agro-systems have a low conversion efficiency of reactive nitrogen (i.e. fertilizers) into edible protein (4-14%), which result in severe externalities to both the environment and human health. Microorganisms are able to convert nitrogen into protein at high efficiencies (>90%), being a disruptive alternative protein source that could have a relevant share of the foreseen alternative protein market (1tn€ by 2040).

Electron4Protein proposes the electro-cultivation of hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria (HOB) as a fermentation protein candidate to reach the Zero hunger UN Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG2). HOBs growth requirements are simple: hydrogen gas (H2), oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2) and ammonium (NH4+). Electron4Protein integrates an electrolyser to a fermenter to produce/deliver H2+O2 in-situ, circumbenting the impacts of foreseenable scarcity of chemical substrates and promoting sustainable industrialisation (UN SDG 9). This strategy will ensure a proper H2 transfer/solubility, reduce the risks associated to H2 storage/flushing and the dependency to external providers. Electron4Protein will valorise industrial by-products (CO2 from spent-off gases + NH4+ from wastewater) into a protein-rich product, generating a carbon negative technology that will positively impact on climate action and life on land/water protection (UN SDG13, 14, 15). It will set the operational conditions for HOB cultivation in an electro-fermenter (i.e. current density, NH4+ source, dissolved O2 set-point). Under optimised conditions, the continuous production of a protein-rich biomass will be evaluated (protein content >50%) at high production rates (>4 gTSS/(L·d)). The increased biomass concentration (target ≥ 1 gTSS/L) and nitrogen-to-protein efficiency (target ≥ 5.5 gTSS/gN) targeted in the project are expected to path the way to exploitation through setting up an Spin-Off.

Electron4Protein aims to set the basis to produce protein out of electricity supply (H2/O2 production) and valorised industrial by-products (CO2 + NH4+). The high efficiency on transforming simple products into high-protein biomass will reduce the environmental impacts of current agro-systems, while ensuring global food stability and nutrition all year round, in any part of the Earth and beyond (e.g. space exploration). Electron4Protein will contribute to the next food revolution.