The first factories producing animal feed from natural gas went into operation this fall. This means that the cutlets made from piglet meat, which are given such feed, are, in a sense, derived from methane.
All the food we eat was once earth, water, air and sunlight. Well, maybe also a raw material for the production of mineral fertilizers, flavorings and preservatives. Potash fertilizers are obtained from ore, nitrogen fertilizers - from the air and ore minerals … in general, we are returning to the earth again.
However, in the future, food made from natural gas and oil may appear on our tables. At least meat products will definitely owe their origin to hydrocarbon fossils. Progressive farmers are already introducing feed made from natural gas into their livestock rations.
Natural Gas Animal Feed
California-based biotech company Calysta is set to launch its first factory, where specialized microorganisms convert methane into protein-rich food for farm animals such as piglets. In September, the company launched a similar production, the end product of which is fish feed, and their UK rivals Unibio received their first methane feed for fish in October.
Is it good for the environment? Yes and no. On the one hand, along with the development of the production of forage from methane, the need to sow the fields with forage crops will disappear, and the animals, whose native forests are cut down for plowing the land, will find a home again. On the other hand, the extraction and production of products from hydrocarbon fossils harms the planet by increasing carbon dioxide emissions. But on a planet where you don't have to worry about the atmosphere, the technology will come in handy: SpaceX specialists are already considering the possibility of obtaining protein food from methane for the Martian colony.
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