Scientists Engineered Special Bacteria That Turns Carbon Dioxide to Valuable Chemicals

According to new research, scientists at Northwestern University have created microbes that can break down carbon waste into valuable industrial compounds. The researchers developed a bacterium strain that converts carbon dioxide into acetone and isopropanol (IPA).

Carbon Utilization

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Carbon dioxide is lethal pollution that is heating the atmosphere, which is well recognized. What's less commonly known is that CO2 may be used as a feedstock for a range of industrial operations. CO2 is a critical industrial building component - and a lucrative commodity - in everything from plastics to concrete.

Carbon dioxide may be used to create low-carbon renewable fuels and high-value goods. BETO has started working on research methods and technological routes for converting CO2 into biofuels and bioproducts. CO2 emissions from point sources or the atmosphere can both be absorbed.

The technology can reduce the usage of fossil fuels while also removing greenhouse gases from the environment, eventually leading to a net-zero emissions economy.

Why is the Process Important?

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Michael Jewett, a professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering and head of the Center for Synthetic Biology, is the study's senior author. He co-led the project alongside LanzaTech researchers Michael Koepke and Ching Leang.

"We can begin to make use of the abundant CO2 to revolutionize the bioeconomy by harnessing our potential to cooperate with biology to generate what is required, where and when it is needed, on a sustainable and renewable basis," says Jewett in a report in Earth.

Industrial Chemicals

Acetone and isopropanol are versatile chemical solvents that can be used for various purposes. The chemicals are worth $10 billion on the global market. However, while these compounds are highly beneficial and in great demand, their manufacture necessitates fossil fuels, which contribute to global warming.

Through a unique gas fermentation technique, the Northwestern team has discovered how to manufacture these molecules more sustainably. Clostridium autoethanogenum, a LanzaTech-engineered anaerobic bacterium, and synthetic biology techniques ferment CO2 into acetone and IPA.

"These breakthroughs, pioneered by cell-free methodologies that drove both strain engineering and route enzyme optimization, sped up time to production by more than a year," Jewett added.

According to the Northwestern and LanzaTech researchers, the discovered bacterial strains and fermentation techniques might be deployed on an industrial scale.

"This discovery represents a significant step toward averting a climate disaster," said Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech.

Most commodity chemicals are now sourced solely from new fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal. Acetone and IPA are two examples, each having a $10 billion worldwide market.

The established acetone and IPA routes will speed up the creation of additional new goods by closing the carbon cycle and allowing them to be used in various sectors.