China intends to turn the airborne carbon dioxide (CO₂) problem into a resource after decades of addressing it. In an effort to combat climate change and capture CO₂, billions of trees have been planted since the 1980s through initiatives like the Three-North Shelter Forest Program.
In order to transform CO₂ into valuable products, scientists are also investigating new technologies. Researchers at the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology and Xi’an Jiaotong University are looking into the process of turning power and CO₂ into single-cell protein (SCP), a high-protein biomass.
Even ideas for artificial photosynthesis, which transforms CO₂ into oxygen and organic matter, have been tested by astronauts at the Tiangong space station. Together, these initiatives try to slow down climate change, promote sustainability, and establish a circular carbon economy, a system where carbon flows in positive cycles rather than becoming pollution.
How the strategy works: lab science combined with forests
The natural side comes first. China has made big investments in land restoration and tree planting during the past 40 years or so. Natural carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture, soil stabilization, and biodiversity preservation are the objectives. One important example is the Three-North Shelter Forest Program, which uses a “green wall” to keep deserts from spreading and remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
Over the course of four decades, these initiatives have eliminated about 400 million tons of CO₂, showing that reforestation can improve land and ecosystems.
Next, the laboratory side. Researchers at the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology and Xi’an Jiaotong University are creating a method that produces single-cell protein (SCP), a protein-rich biomass with an approximate 74% protein yield, using CO₂ and energy. As a plant-based protein source, this SCP is now mostly used for animal feed, but early research shows that it may also be safe for people to eat.
The basic idea is to capture CO₂, provide electricity to the process, and then produce protein. Therefore, there will be less CO₂ in the atmosphere and more protein available, solving two issues at once.
Next stop: sustainability and a circular carbon economy
The circular carbon economy is the main goal of these programs. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is treated as a fuel or an initial ingredient, instead of as harmful waste. With less additional resources, this shift can produce valued products, reduce waste, and lower emissions. It helps with food security as well. Single-cell protein (SCP) can support conventional farming if it can be produced on a little amount of land and water, especially since harvests become less predictable due to climate change.
Another practical test situation is space. Astronauts on board the Tiangong Space Station have experimented with artificial photosynthesis equipment that transforms CO₂ into organic molecules and oxygen. Since a space station is a sealed environment, any carbon recycling technology that works well there may also act as an inspiration for solutions back on Earth, where we need clean air, reliable food, and resource optimization.
A practical path to sustainability
The strategy mixes the best features of both methods. Natural remedies heal the land while removing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere. That carbon is meant to be transformed into valuable products by technology-based solutions, like the work with single-cell proteins (SCP) by Xi’an Jiaotong University and the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, as well as artificial photosynthesis trials at the Tiangong space station. When taken as a whole, they promote sustainability, a circular carbon economy and a drop in climate change.
These concepts require funding, cost-effective manufacturing, and safety inspections before they can be implemented on a large scale. However, if works, the same carbon dioxide (CO₂) that warms the earth could also be a solution using trees, research, and innovation.