Feeding plants acetate

Here is a link to a project that makes acetic  from air water and energy and feeds it to plants that use it to grow in complete darkness.

https://www.udel.edu/udaily/2022/june/grow-plants-without-photosynthesis-through-acetate-electrocatalysis/

The article mentions the need to produce acetate without salts.

It also claims that a solar panel powering their acetate creation  process is a more efficient way to grow food than letting the plants do the work.
I find this suspect,  if only because plants are self replicating.

I think acetate can be produced via acetic acid bacteria and distillation of wood.
Getting the same kind that works to grow plants in the dark could be a boon to small food producers.

Google says acetic is the acid in vinegar.  You had me really worried for a moment.

Lol, yeah it's the simple nature of the it that is attractive.
No Frankenstein chemicals needed.

Of course the really interesting question is this: "HOW" do you feed this acetate to the plants making them independent of light. Can you simply mix it in the water with the other nutrients and do the roots ingest it or do you need to directly inject it into their veins in some way or another?
I haven't found anything in this study on how exactly they make plants grow in this manner. Would be interesting to know to get rid of those grow LEDs