Scientists Discover Ways To Convert Methane Into Edible Protein

After the news of a company turning food waste from restaurants into cultivating maggot-based fishmeal, comes the story of Calysta Inc. from California and Sting Bio in the Bengaluru city of India. The two companies have independently found a way to convert methane into protein according to reports by Bloomberg.

The Process

A liquid containing methane gas is fed to the bacteria in the soil. This starts a fermentation process which is quite similar to that of making beer except this doesn’t turn into alcohol. Instead the protein is released into the water and this water is then dried as brown-coloured powder. Bloomberg further reports that this powder is already being used for animal feed which is the first step for making it fit for human consumption.

“You just mix the protein with regular feed and feed it to animals,” said Subbian, a synthetic biologist who worked on developing fuels and chemicals from plants to Bloomberg. “I envision us purifying it further where it could be ready for human consumption.”

The Cause

“It’s way better to turn methane into food than burn it,” said Calysta’s chief executive officer, Alan Shaw to Bloomberg. “What better use for it than to turn it into protein and put it into the human food system, and take a lot of the pressure off?” The companies believe that it will relieve the growing concern on agricultural land and the oceans due to the growing global population.

The companies have even got financial backing for their projects. String Bio is a start-up that got $200,000 in the Indian government grants and Calysta got the backing of the investors like Japan’s Mitsui & Co. and Cargill Inc. “Natural gas is transforming the world economy at the moment because of its relative cheapness to oil and other forms of carbon,” said Shaw. “You’re not going to stop people from using fishmeal, but you will be able to provide a sustainable replacement.”

Image Source: Calysta