The climate impacts of our global agriculture system have been very much in the news recently, especially when it comes to red meat. But one aspect of the industry that is much less conspicuous is the production of starch from crops like corn. Millions of tons of starch are used every year for a growing number of applications in many sectors, and the volumes are increasing every year. Now a Chinese research group has perfected a system to manufacture synthetic starch, potentially saving huge swathes of land and water use.
(With Thanks to Peter Meincke)