Electro-agriculture: Revolutionizing farming for a sustainable future

IF 38.6 1区材料科学 Q1 CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL

Joule Pub Date : 2024-10-23 DOI:10.1016/j.joule.2024.09.011

Bradie S. Crandall, Marcus Harland-Dunaway, Robert E. Jinkerson, Feng Jiao

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

For millennia, humanity has depended on photosynthesis to cultivate crops and feed a growing population. However, the escalating challenges of climate change and global hunger now compel us to surpass the efficiency limitations of photosynthesis. Here, we propose the adoption of an electro-agriculture (electro-ag) framework that combines CO₂ electrolysis with biological systems to enhance food production efficiency. Adopting a food system based entirely on electro-ag could reduce United States agricultural land use by 88%, freeing nearly half of the country’s land for ecosystem restoration and natural carbon sequestration. Electro-ag bypasses traditional photosynthesis, enabling food cultivation in non-arable urban centers, arid deserts, and even outer space environments. We offer a new strategy that improves energy efficiency by an order of magnitude compared with photosynthesis, along with essential guidance for developing electro-ag focused on staple crops, to maximize benefits for regions facing food insecurity. This innovative approach to agriculture holds significant promise in reducing environmental impacts, streamlining supply chains, and addressing the global food crisis.

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电子农业：革新农业，实现可持续未来

千百年来，人类依靠光合作用种植作物，养活不断增长的人口。然而，气候变化和全球饥饿带来的挑战不断升级，迫使我们必须超越光合作用的效率限制。在此，我们建议采用电农业（electro-ag）框架，将二氧化碳电解与生物系统相结合，以提高粮食生产效率。采用完全基于电-ag 的粮食系统可使美国农业用地减少 88%，从而腾出近一半的土地用于生态系统恢复和自然碳固存。电-ag 绕过了传统的光合作用，能够在非可耕地的城市中心、干旱沙漠甚至外太空环境中种植粮食。与光合作用相比，我们提出了一种能将能源效率提高一个数量级的新策略，并提供了以主要作物为重点开发电ag的基本指导，从而为面临粮食不安全问题的地区带来最大利益。这种创新的农业方法在减少环境影响、简化供应链和解决全球粮食危机方面大有可为。

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来源期刊

Joule Energy-General Energy

CiteScore

53.10

自引率

2.00%

发文量

198

期刊介绍： Joule is a sister journal to Cell that focuses on research, analysis, and ideas related to sustainable energy. It aims to address the global challenge of the need for more sustainable energy solutions. Joule is a forward-looking journal that bridges disciplines and scales of energy research. It connects researchers and analysts working on scientific, technical, economic, policy, and social challenges related to sustainable energy. The journal covers a wide range of energy research, from fundamental laboratory studies on energy conversion and storage to global-level analysis. Joule aims to highlight and amplify the implications, challenges, and opportunities of novel energy research for different groups in the field.