In Part 1 of Ecotopia in Space Begins on Earth (linked here), I presented that living in Space is our only option if future human civilizations continue to expand. I discussed some of the issues humanity is facing when considering a future in Space. However, current work creating partial ecotopian systems is progressing here on Earth. There is a very promising technology that may soon scale to an effective commercial operation. A company in Morgan Hill California has developed an effective method of creating both liquid and solid fertilizers as well as hydrogen gas. The process consumes CO2 and is water neutral and can rebuild soil resulting in robust plant growth. The fertilizers are pure and free of toxins and contain organisms of the genera Clostridium.

To prevent toxins and non-plant bio-waste from entering their system, only food-quality waste is used in the fermentation process. The waste used is created in preparing packaged produce (carrot peels and both ends of romaine lettuce heads). Anaerobic Systems CEO, Mike Cox, has been working with anaerobic bacteria with his company for more than 40 years. About 4 years ago he began looking at agricultural waste and the potential for applying his fermentative methods to produce fertilizer. He has developed a system that works exceedingly well in the agricultural industry. His method effectively rebuilds soil and greatly enhances plant growth. The bonus is that it would be a very appropriate system for use in space habitats. Following is a summary chart showing the net effect of his fermentation system using two different species of Clostridium bacteria.

The regolith from Mars contains high concentrations of toxic perchlorate and chlorate. These chemicals release chlorine which destroys organic molecules. They would need to be removed from Martian regolith before they could be converted to viable soil. Regolith from the Moon and S-Type Asteroids could likely be processed directly.

The liquid fertilizer FermeGROW ™ produced by Anaerobic Systems was tested in a Field Trial by a company called Soil and Compost Consulting. Standard pellet fertilizer was used as a Control. A total of 9,000 Romaine, Iceberg, and Cauliflower starter plants were planted and 2,400 plants were harvested and weighed. Romaine lettuce showed 11.66% more weight than the control, Iceberg lettuce showed 11.84% increased weight over the control, and Cauliflower showed 34.70% increased weight over the control.

Biochar is a product created by the anaerobic heating of wood. In this process, the wood does not burn but is toasted to an extremely dry condition. Biochar can be added to soil, dirt or regolith to add bulk and surface area for microbes. 10 grams of biochar provides about 1 acre of surface area to function as ‘scaffolding’ upon which microbes can grow, feeding and supporting photosynthetic plants. The methods developed at Anaerobe Systems would provide for rapid soil development in space habitats. Pulling CO2 from small-volume atmospheres would allow more CO2-producing heterotrophs (humans etc.).

Producing hydrogen gas to power fuel cells that could power electrical systems and charge batteries is a significant bonus as well. In the meantime, the process is commercially viable here on Earth and can be readily scaled up to improve land use. I believe it to be an exciting technology that will have many positive effects.