Towards an artificial carbohydrates supply on Earth

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Dinger ◽  
Ulrich Platt
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Market Price ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
External Costs ◽  
Sugar Production ◽  
Land Area ◽  
Directed Research ◽  
Global Population

<p>How to feed a growing global population in a secure and sustainable way? The conventional, biogenic agriculture has yet failed to provide a reliable concept which circumvents its severe environmental externalities — such as the massive use of land area, water for irrigation, fertiliser, pesticides, herbicides, and fossil fuel. In contrast, the artificial synthesis of carbohydrates from atmospheric carbon dioxide, water, and renewable energy would allow not only for a highly reliable production without those externalities, but would also allow to increase the agricultural capacities of our planet by several orders of magnitude. All required technology is either commercially available or at least developed on a lab-scale. No directed research has, however, yet been conducted towards an industry-scale carbohydrate synthesis because the biogenic carbohydrate production was economically more competitive. Taking the environmental and socioeconomic externalities of the conventional sugar production into account, this economical narrative has to be questioned. We estimate the production costs of artificial sugar at ~1 €/kg. While the today’s spot market price for conventional sugar is about ~0.3 €/kg, we estimate its total costs (including external costs) at >0.9 €/kg in humid regions and >2 €/kg in semi-arid regions. Accordingly, artificial sugar appears already today to be the less expensive way of production. The artificial sugar production allows in principle also for a subsequent synthesis of other carbohydrates such as starch as well as of fats. These synthetic products could be used as a feedstock to microorganisms, fungi, insects, or livestock in order to enhance also the sustainability of the biogenic production of, e.g., proteins.</p>

scholarly journals Towards an Artificial Carbohydrates Supply on Earth

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Dinger ◽  
Ulrich Platt
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Market Price ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
External Costs ◽  
Sugar Production ◽  
Land Area ◽  
Directed Research ◽  
Global Population

How to feed a growing global population in a secure and sustainable way? The conventional, biogenic agriculture has yet failed to provide a reliable concept which circumvents its severe environmental externalities—such as the massive use of land area, water for irrigation, fertiliser, pesticides, herbicides, and fossil fuel. In contrast, the artificial synthesis of carbohydrates from atmospheric carbon dioxide, water, and renewable energy would allow not only for a highly reliable production without those 10 externalities, but would also allow to increase the agricultural capacities of our planet by several orders of magnitude. All required technology is either commercially available or at least developed on a lab-scale. No directed research has, however, yet been conducted to wards an industry-scale carbohydrate synthesis because the biogenic carbohydrate production was economically more competitive. Taking the environmental and socioeconomic externalities of the conventional sugar production into account, this economical narrative has to be questioned. We estimate the production costs of artificial sugar at 1 C/kg. While the today’s spot market price for conventional sugar is about 0.3 C/kg, we estimate its total costs (including external costs) at 0.9 C/kg in humid regions and 2 C/kg in semi-arid regions. Accordingly, artificial sugar appears already today to be the less expensive way of production. The artificial sugar production allows in principle also for a subsequent synthesis of other carbohydrates such as starch and cellulose as well as fats. This manuscript aims at rising research interest and at enhancing awareness for a transition to a nonagricultural and more resource conserving way to supply carbohydrates for food.<br>

scholarly journals Towards an Artificial Carbohydrates Supply on Earth

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Dinger ◽  
Ulrich Platt
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Market Price ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
External Costs ◽  
Sugar Production ◽  
Land Area ◽  
Directed Research ◽  
Global Population

How to feed a growing global population in a secure and sustainable way? The conventional, biogenic agriculture has yet failed to provide a reliable concept which circumvents its severe environmental externalities—such as the massive use of land area, water for irrigation, fertiliser, pesticides, herbicides, and fossil fuel. In contrast, the artificial synthesis of carbohydrates from atmospheric carbon dioxide, water, and renewable energy would allow not only for a highly reliable production without those 10 externalities, but would also allow to increase the agricultural capacities of our planet by several orders of magnitude. All required technology is either commercially available or at least developed on a lab-scale. No directed research has, however, yet been conducted to wards an industry-scale carbohydrate synthesis because the biogenic carbohydrate production was economically more competitive. Taking the environmental and socioeconomic externalities of the conventional sugar production into account, this economical narrative has to be questioned. We estimate the production costs of artificial sugar at 1 C/kg. While the today’s spot market price for conventional sugar is about 0.3 C/kg, we estimate its total costs (including external costs) at 0.9 C/kg in humid regions and 2 C/kg in semi-arid regions. Accordingly, artificial sugar appears already today to be the less expensive way of production. The artificial sugar production allows in principle also for a subsequent synthesis of other carbohydrates such as starch and cellulose as well as fats. This manuscript aims at rising research interest and at enhancing awareness for a transition to a nonagricultural and more resource conserving way to supply carbohydrates for food.<br>

The benefit of an artificial carbohydrates supply on Earth

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Platt ◽  
Florian Dinger
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Market Price ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
External Costs ◽  
Sugar Production ◽  
Sugar Beets ◽  
Directed Research

&lt;p&gt;Our conventional, biogenic agriculture (CBA) has failed to provide a reliable concept to feed a growing population in a sustainable way. In particular CBA suffers from severe environmental externalities - such as the massive use of land area, water for irrigation, fertiliser, pesticides, herbicides, and fossil fuel.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Here we suggest the artificial synthesis of carbohydrates from (atmospheric) carbon dioxide, water, and renewable energy, which would allow not only a highly reliable production without those externalities, but would also open the possibility to increase the agricultural capacity of our planet by several orders of magnitude. Our study shows that saccharose could be produced from CO2, water and electrical energy with an efficiency exceeding 30% equivalent to about 15 kWh per kg of sugar. Factoring in the efficiency of photovoltaic electricity generation we derive a &amp;#8222;sun to sugar&amp;#8220; efficinecy exceeding 6%, which is about 10-times the efficiency of CBA sugar beets or sugar cane.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;All required technology is either commercially available or at least developed on a lab-scale. No directed research has, however, yet been conducted towards an industry-scale carbohydrate synthesis because the CBA carbohydrate production was thought to be economically more competitive. However, considering the environmental and socioeconomic externalities of the conventional sugar production, this economical narrative has to be questioned. We estimate the production costs of artificial sugar at about 1 &amp;#8364;/kg. Today&amp;#8217;s spot market price for conventional sugar is about 0.3 &amp;#8364;/kg, however, we estimate its total costs (including external costs) at &gt;0.9 &amp;#8364;/kg in humid regions and &gt;2 &amp;#8364;/kg in semi-arid regions. Accordingly, artificial sugar appears already today to be the less expensive way of production. The artificial sugar production allows in principle also for a subsequent synthesis of other carbohydrates such as starch as well as of fats. These synthetic products could be used as a feedstock to microorganisms, fungi, insects, or livestock in order to enhance also the sustainability of the biogenic production of, e.g., proteins.&lt;/p&gt;

Technical accounting: sugar extraction and losses

2020 ◽  
pp. 712-721
Author(s):  
Jan Maarten de Bruijn de Bruijn
Keyword(s):  
Process Improvement ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Continuous Process ◽  
Extraction Yield ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Sugar Production ◽  
Cost Leadership ◽  
Sugar Extraction ◽  
White Sugar

The bought sugar in the processed raw material (either beet or cane) comprises a high financial value and may contribute to somewhere around 50% of the white sugar production costs. It is therefore of the utmost importance to minimize sugar losses along the process and produce as much white sugar as possible from the raw material. This paper explains the principle of technical accounting as tool to control sugar extraction and losses in beet sugar manufacture. The sugar mass balance used to calculate the overall sugar extraction yield, as well as several simple calculations proposed for estimating the different sugar losses (like e.g. extraction (diffusion) losses, infection losses, sugar losses in molasses, etc.) in the subsequent process steps will be explained in detail. Proper technical accounting is considered indispensable for continuous process control and process improvement in pursuit of best-practice operation and cost-leadership.

scholarly journals The Dynamic Sustainability in Supply Chain Context of Malaysia’s Industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 4665-4668
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Reverse Logistics ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
World Population ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Land Area ◽  
Electric Car ◽  
Housing Estates ◽  
United Nation

This paper is discussing on the emergence of awareness in Malaysia’s supply chain in green practices and implementation towards sustainability. All elements in good supply chain management are being tabled from the various authors & publications within the latest three years period. All business entity inclusive of industries, manufacturing, warehousing, transportation covering the land, sea and air. World population is nearing 7.5 billion directly triggered a massive food production, electrical & electronics appliances, furnitures, housing estates, textiles industries, transportations for movement, upgrading of roads, seaports, bigger airports causing huge consumptions of fossil fuel. Consequently causing damage to the environment. World leaders are united in decision of tacking the global warming at United Nation assembly but the action on the ground is very minimal resulting in the iceberg melting continuously, flooding in low land area in coastal city such as Jakarta, Shanghai and Lagos. Endless effort are being taken to reduce the dependency on fossil fuel by the world leading economy nations such as China in developing electric car engines, Germany in longer lifespan battery operated vehicles as well as solar energy and water based engine (Hybrid). In the market with the pressure from the society and environmentalist manufacturing are aggressively implementing reverse logistics on their products, transportations companies are maximizing their truckloads, factories are reducing the electricity and create awareness and ownership which is resulting the low carbon footprint.

External Costs of Fossil Fuel Cycles

1997 ◽  
pp. 121-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Krewitt ◽  
P. Mayerhofer ◽  
R. Friedrich ◽  
A. Trukenmüller ◽  
N. Eyre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
External Costs ◽  
Fuel Cycles

scholarly journals PSII-21 Evaluation of the impact of the magnitude of errors in the sorting of pigs and market price for market on the optimal market weight

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 231-232
Author(s):  
Jian Cheng ◽  
Joanna Claudy ◽  
Yichen Que ◽  
Allan P Schinckel
Keyword(s):  
Polynomial Function ◽  
Estimation Error ◽  
Market Price ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Marketing System ◽  
Market Prices ◽  
Pork Production ◽  
Base Price ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Daily Returns

Abstract The objective was to estimate the impact the accuracy in which pigs are sorted for marketing has on the optimal market carcass weight (CW) using a stochastic model. Three levels of bodyweight estimation error (BWEE) with SD’s of 0, 4, and 8% of BW were simulated. Initially, pigs were marketed in 3 marketing cuts (MCUT), 25% at 169, 25% at 179, and 50% at 193 d of age. The timing of marketing was shifted in 7d intervals with mean marketing ages of 155.5 to 211.5 d. Sort loss was calculated using the Tyson Foods marketing system. Sort loss ($/pig) values were fitted to a polynomial function of mean CW for each level of BWEE. Pork production costs were estimated using an industry spreadsheet. A base price of $1.433/kg of CW was used to produce a small profit per pig. Market prices of $1.653 and $1.322/kg of CW were used to reflect times of large profit or losses per pig. Barrow and gilt lean premiums were included. The optimal CW’s to maximize profit/pig and daily returns above daily costs were estimated for each combination of BWEE and market price. With accurate sorting (BWEE = 0), the optimal mean age was 183.5d at a mean CW of 96.4 kg and a profit of $3.49/pig. With less accurate sorting (BWEE = 8%), the optimal mean age decreased to 181.5 d with mean CW of 95.2 kg, and profit of $2.89/pig. With this marketing system, the optimal market ages decreased by 1 to 2d and CW’s decreased by 0.6 to 1.3kg as the accuracy of sorting decreased. The lower market price reduced the optimal CW by 1.2kg (2d) and increased 2.4kg (4d) with the higher market price.

scholarly journals A seawater desalination scheme for global hydrological models

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 4143-4157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naota Hanasaki ◽  
Sayaka Yoshikawa ◽  
Kaoru Kakinuma ◽  
Shinjiro Kanae
Keyword(s):  
Arid Regions ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Hydrological Models ◽  
Water Usage ◽  
Socioeconomic Conditions ◽  
Seawater Desalination ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Good Reproduction ◽  
National Production

Abstract. Seawater desalination is a practical technology for providing fresh water to coastal arid regions. Indeed, the use of desalination is rapidly increasing due to growing water demand in these areas and decreases in production costs due to technological advances. In this study, we developed a model to estimate the areas where seawater desalination is likely to be used as a major water source and the likely volume of production. The model was designed to be incorporated into global hydrological models (GHMs) that explicitly include human water usage. The model requires spatially detailed information on climate, income levels, and industrial and municipal water use, which represent standard input/output data in GHMs. The model was applied to a specific historical year (2005) and showed fairly good reproduction of the present geographical distribution and national production of desalinated water in the world. The model was applied globally to two periods in the future (2011–2040 and 2041–2070) under three distinct socioeconomic conditions, i.e., SSP (shared socioeconomic pathway) 1, SSP2, and SSP3. The results indicate that the usage of seawater desalination will have expanded considerably in geographical extent, and that production will have increased by 1.4–2.1-fold in 2011–2040 compared to the present (from 2.8  ×  109 m3 yr−1 in 2005 to 4.0–6.0  ×  109 m3 yr−1), and 6.7–17.3-fold in 2041–2070 (from 18.7 to 48.6  ×  109 m3 yr−1). The estimated global costs for production for each period are USD 1.1–10.6  ×  109 (0.002–0.019 % of the total global GDP), USD 1.6–22.8  ×  109 (0.001–0.020 %), and USD 7.5–183.9  ×  109 (0.002–0.100 %), respectively. The large spreads in these projections are primarily attributable to variations within the socioeconomic scenarios.

scholarly journals Integrated Processing of Secondary Raw Materials as the Main Direction of Ecologization of Beet Sugar Production In The Republic of Kazakhstan

2020 ◽  
Vol 159 ◽  
pp. 03002
Author(s):  
Gulzira Zhaxygulova ◽  
Maiya Myrzabekova ◽  
Guzel Sadykova
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Beet ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Sugar Production ◽  
Processing Technologies ◽  
Secondary Resources ◽  
Beet Sugar ◽  
The Republic ◽  
By Products

Beet sugar production is one of the material-intensive industries, where the volume of raw and auxiliary materials used in production is several times higher than the output of finished products. It is also a source of multi-tonnage secondary resources, i.e. by-products and production waste, the main ones beingAbeet pulp, molasses and filtration sludge. Against the background of the implementation of the Sectoral Program of Beet Sugar Production Development in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2018-2027, there is a need to create a concept of ecologization of production, which will provide for the development of fundamentally new technologies to ensure minimum waste, combining environmentally friendly methods with cost-effective production of sugar beet and by-products. The bet should be made on low-cost technologies that will minimize production costs and environmental impact. In this article possible variants of sugar beet processing technologies with complex deep processing of waste are offered. The comparison of traditional technology and various variants of progressive technologies of sugar beet processing and production of new products from secondary resources was carried out, which allowed to determine revenue from complex processing of 1 ton of sugar beet.

14C and 10Be in Dust Deposited During the Storm of 16–17 April 2006 in Beijing

Radiocarbon ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 1790-1800
Author(s):  
C D Shen ◽  
W X Yi ◽  
P Ding ◽  
K X Liu ◽  
X M Xu
Keyword(s):  
Arid Regions ◽  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Surface Soil ◽  
Source Region ◽  
Source Area ◽  
Total Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Dust Source ◽  
C Value ◽  
Dust Surface

The concentrations of 10Be and 14C and values of δ13C in samples collected during a major dust storm in Beijing on 16–17 April 2006 were studied. The 10Be concentrations ranged from 1.69 × 108 to 2.07 × 108 atom/g, 14C ages for black carbon (BC) ranged from 3001 to 5181 yr BP and for total inorganic carbon (TIC) from 8464 to 9119 yr BP, and δ13C values for BC ranged from -23.15% to -23.80% and for TIC from -5.39% to -5.98%. A comparison of BC content and δ13C value between the dust, surface soil in the dust source region, and aerosols in Beijing indicated that BC in the dust deposited in Beijing is significantly incorporated by aerosol BC during the dust transportation. Based on the 14C ages of BC, the proportion of fossil-fuel-derived BC was 0.35–0.49 of the total. In contrast to BC, the TIC deposited in Beijing can be firmly related to the source area and δ13C was not significantly modified during its transportation. According to the 14C ages of TIC, the proportion of the secondary carbonate in the dust was from 0.63 to 0.70. The results confirm that 14C of TIC is another useful tracer to indicate the source region of dust besides the content and δ13C value of TIC from the arid and semi-arid regions of China.

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