First in the world! Our country has achieved the synthesis of proteins from carbon monoxide, and has established production capacity in the tens of thousands of tons per year

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On October 30, the Feed Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences announced that China has achieved, for the first time in the world, the synthesis of protein from carbon monoxide. An industrial production capacity of tens of thousands of tons has been established, and the first certification for new feed and feed additive products was obtained. According to the Science and Technology Daily, Dr. Xue Min, the lead scientist of the project and a researcher at the Feed Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, explained that the natural synthesis of proteins usually takes place through natural processes within plants or specific microorganisms within plants that possess nitrogen-fixing capabilities. This process involves complex biological mechanisms such as genetic expression, biochemical synthesis, and physiological regulation; it is slow, and the efficiency of converting materials and energy is low, resulting in low levels of protein accumulation. However, the large-scale biosynthesis of proteins using naturally occurring carbon monoxide and nitrogen sources (ammonia) through artificial means is not subject to this limitation. Therefore, artificially synthesized proteins have long been regarded by the international academic community as a revolutionary and cutting-edge science and technology that influences the progress of human civilization and our understanding of biological phenomena. After more than six years of research, Shougang Langze overcame the key technical challenges associated with the production of Clostridium ethanologenes protein, significantly increasing the reaction speed (synthesis completed in 22 seconds). It set a world record by achieving a protein yield of up to 85% through one-step biosynthesis under industrial conditions, and successfully implemented this technology on an industrial scale ； In collaboration with the Feed Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, a system for evaluating the protein potency of Clostridium ethanolans was developed; this system was jointly promoted and applied within the framework of the **Key R&D Program – Blue Granary Project. In August 2021, the world’s first certification for a new feed and feed additive product was obtained. This research uses industrial exhaust gases containing carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, as well as ammonia water, as primary raw materials to create new types of feed protein resources from nothing; it converts inorganic nitrogen and carbon into organic forms, achieving independent innovation from scratch and possessing complete independent intellectual property rights. Based on the industrial production of 10 million tons of Clostridium ethanol protein (with a protein content of 83%), this is equivalent to 28 million tons of imported soybeans (with a protein content of 30%). This approach does not compete with food crops for land or resources, and it opens up a new pathway for producing high-quality feed protein from low-cost, non-traditional animal and plant sources; it can also help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 250 million tons.