Lactose is broken down by thebacteria to make yogurt and beer. The researchers at the University and the technology company have harnessed the power ofbacteria to break down waste carbon dioxide to make valuable industrial chemicals.
In a new pilot study, the researchers selected a strain ofbacteria and then demonstrated its ability to convert CO 2 into acetone and isopropanol.
The new gas fermentation process removes greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and also avoids using fossil fuels, which are typically needed to generate acetone andIPA. The team found that the carbon-negative platform could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 160% if widely adopted.
The study will be published in a journal.
The accelerated climate crisis, combined with rapid population growth, pose some of the most urgent challenges to humankind, according to Michael Jewett, co-senior author of the book.
Jewett is the Walter P. Murphy Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and director of the Center for Synthetic Biology. He co-led the study with two other researchers.
The global market for industrial bulk and platform chemicals is over $10 billion. The basis for one of the two World Health Organization-recommended formulas isIPA, which is widely used as a disinfectant and antiseptic. acetone is a solvent for many plastic and synthetic fibers.
Fossil resources lead to climate-warming CO 2 emissions.
A new gas fermentation process was developed to make these chemicals more sustainable. Clostridium autoethanogenum was engineered at LanzaTech. Synthetic biology tools were used to reprogram the bacterium to ferment CO 2 to make acetone and IPA.
Jewett said that the innovations were led by cell-free strategies that guided both strain engineering and pathway engineering.
The developed strains and process will translate to industrial scale according to the teams. The approach could be used to create streamlined processes for generating other valuable chemicals.
The discovery is a major step forward in avoiding a climate catastrophe. There is a global market of $10 billion. The development of acetone andIPA pathways will accelerate the development of other new products by closing the carbon cycle for their use in multiple industries.
The study is titled Carbon-negative, scaled-up production of acetone and isopropanol by gas fermentation.
More information: Michael Jewett, Carbon-negative production of acetone and isopropanol by gas fermentation at industrial pilot scale, Nature Biotechnology (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41587-021-01195-w. www.nature.com/articles/s41587-021-01195-w Journal information: Nature Biotechnology Citation: Bacteria upcycle carbon waste into valuable chemicals (2022, February 21) retrieved 21 February 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-02-bacteria-upcycle-carbon-valuable-chemicals.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
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