A California-based biotechnology startup has officially launched the world’s first commercially available butter made entirely from carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and oxygen, eliminating the need for traditional agriculture or animal farming. Savor, backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates through his Breakthrough Energy Ventures fund, announced the commercial release of its animal- and plant-free butter after three years of development.
The revolutionary product uses a proprietary thermochemical process that transforms carbon dioxide captured from the air, hydrogen from water, and methane into fat molecules chemically identical to those found in dairy butter. According to the company, the process creates fatty acids by heating these gases under controlled temperature and pressure conditions, then combining them with glycerol to form triglycerides.
Replacing a large amount of agriculture, which produces a lot of emissions, could potentially cut emissions.
The last step in the process is being glossed over, where they mention the final ingredient is glycerol. Google says the primary ways we get glycerol is from plants, animals, or good ol oil. They specifically say this doesn’t use plant or animal products, so I’m left assuming this entire process hinges on ‘drill baby drill’