105. VAT-GROWN MEAT
This is another radical development which will increase carrying capacity by freeing up lots of land, water, grain etc.
Fancy a beefburger, but want to spare the cow? Tissue engineers experimenting with ways of growing meat in a lab dish could soon provide a solution. [...]This technique will also eliminate massive volumes of waste, such as:
His dream is that we will eventually be able to grow and cook fresh sausage overnight at home in special machine, just like a home bread maker.Source
a) 1.4 billion tons of farm animal wastes produced annually in the U.S.
b) Green-house gas methane produced by farm animals, which constitutes 25% of all human-induced methane production in the U.S.
c) Energy wasted producing animal parts which are not eaten (i.e. bones, brains, intestines, hooves, hair, teeth etc.)
Here's a site with some resources on this technology:
www.new-harvest.org
posted by JD @ 4:56 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
This VAT-grown meat is stupid. It does not take into account the EROEI - this meat is going to need to be stretched and exercised by machines since there'll be no active muscles - are we really going to get more energy out of that than we put into it?
Dukat: a) Instead 5 billion pounds of human waste.
b)methane is a load of crap, it takes only 4 years to break down in the atmosphere, it will have no impact.
c)All those wastes are fed back to the animals, the industry does not waste anything.
(a) Huh? I don't follow, please explain further...
(b) So you'll have no problem burning all those methane hydrates
under the Gulf of Mexico?
(c) This is illegal in Canada as of 10 years ago. There may be no difference in the States if what you are saying is true, but there would be energy savings elsewhere.
Dukat: "Also you need food to produce food, are you saying that you just plug this into your power outlet and it magicaly makes meat for you?"
Of course there's energy input, Dukat. Unless you have a free energy device, you kinda need an input to run any industrial process. However, doing it in a vat saves energy spent clearing grazing land, energy spent hosuing the cattle in factory farm situations, production of feed, etc. But I realize what you are saying, it would be nice to see those statistics on the energy input of meat vat production vs. the status quo.
"This VAT-grown meat is stupid. It does not take into account the EROEI - this meat is going to need to be stretched and exercised by machines since there'll be no active muscles - are we really going to get more energy out of that than we put into it?"
It's food. EROEI isn't the point. It probably uses less energy (and other resources) than conventional meat production, and that's what matters.
I do think a better solution would just be for people to eat less meat... it'd make us healthier too... but that's not gonna happen.
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Meat is an acquired taste. It's unnecessary anyway.
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