KainX t1_iti8dqm wrote
Reply to comment by mutherhrg in World's largest protein factory uses fermentation to produce 20,000 tonnes of protein annually for use in fish food in China by mutherhrg
This sound great, but they do not explain a whole lot in the article. Would you explain more about;
What are these protein substances that we would see in one of the fermenters? Is it a goopy film that is dried?
What are the microbes being fed / What input materials are being turned into protein?
How does carbon monoxide end up in protein?
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Black Soldier Fly production are great at turning organic matter into proteins and fats, but they can not handle a lot of fibrous plant matter, but they would probably love these fermented leftovers.
mutherhrg OP t1_itiagjs wrote
>What input materials are being turned into protein?
>Calysseo is a joint venture between global animal feed additives supplier Adisseo and protein innovator Calysta, which uses natural gas (methane) to grow a naturally occurring bacteria, producing a safe SCP.
So methane it is.
>How does carbon monoxide end up in protein?
Complex chemical reactions being used by the bacteria transforming the substance into protein. Basically, a large bioreactor.
>What are the microbes being fed. What are these protein substances that we would see in one of the fermenters? Is it a goopy film that is dried?
Hard to say, there's a dozen different types of this processes using different microbes, different feedstock , some of it is being trade secrets, you need to actually go inside the factory to know the details. The final product is basically pellets, but there's no telling what by-products are produced, or the steps taken to process it into the pellet form. It just opened after all and this kinds of industrial protein factories aren't very common. Maybe in 10 years when there's thousands of this factories across the world, we'll know more about it.
TerpenesByMS t1_itjsn9z wrote
That's wild, input carbon for industrial food chain coming from petrochem. We definitely live in the future.
mutherhrg OP t1_itju3w2 wrote
There's also dozens other versions that use combinations of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide etc etc so there's lots of potential there
Green__lightning t1_itmiysh wrote
They can make drinkable alcohol from oil too, but they won't let them sell it, at least here.
Lone-Pine t1_itk76w2 wrote
> safe SCP
I don't feel safe...
bluenosesutherland t1_itk84y6 wrote
I have visions of Soylent Green.
aPicOfTheWorld t1_itme602 wrote
I work in a factory like this, not in China, neither do we make fish supplements.
U won't see anything In the fermenter but brown water that smells like shit, don't forget, this is basically just biomass.
ThrowAwayGenomics t1_itimyti wrote
It’s methane fermentation, so methane is the only carbon/energy source. Depending on processing, you end up with something similar to brewers yeast you find at some grocery stores or a more purified protein powder. For animal feed it would likely be the former. Inputs are methane, salts, water and electricity to the run the bioreactors. I assume there’s some amount of pure oxygen or nitrogen supplementation to reach the most efficient ratios.
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