Bacteria is well known for its capability to break down lactose to make sugar, yogurt, and beer. Today, LanzaTech and Northwestern University researchers have harnessed bacteria to upcycle carbon dioxide waste and make critical industrial chemicals.
In a pilot study, a team of researchers selected, engineered, and optimized a strain of bacteria to demonstrate its ability to convert CO2 waste into isopropanol and acetone.
Upcycling of Carbon Waste Using Engineered Bacteria
(Photo : Courtesay Manfred Rohde, Helmholtz-Zentrum fuer Infektionsforschung (HZI)/Getty Images)
BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 30: In this handout photo provided by the Helmholtz Center for Research on Infectious Diseases and EHEC bacteria is visible on May 30, 2011, in Berlin, Germany. German health authorities have attributed at least 11 deaths within the last two weeks to an outbreak of enterohemorrhagic E. coli, also known as the EHEC bacteria. Authorities are claiming the outbreak is being spread from tainted cucumbers imported from Spain, though the exact cause of the contamination has yet to be determined. Other countries in Europe also report people afflicted with the infection among people who recently returned from spending time in northern Germany.
BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 30: In this handout photo provided by the Helmholtz Center for Research on Infectious Diseases and EHEC bacteria is visible on May 30, 2011, in Berlin, Germany. German health authorities have attributed at least 11 deaths within the last two weeks to an outbreak of enterohemorrhagic E. coli, also known as the EHEC bacteria. Authorities are claiming the outbreak is being spread from tainted cucumbers imported from Spain, though the exact cause of the contamination has yet to be determined. Other countries in Europe also report people afflicted with the infection among people who recently returned from spending time in northern Germany.
The novel gas fermentation process removes greenhouse gasses from the planet's atmosphere. Additionally, it avoids using fossil fuels that are generally necessary to generate IPA and acetone. In the study published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, titled "Carbon-negative production of acetone and isopropanol by gas fermentation at industrial pilot scale," researchers found that the carbon-negative platform can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 160% compared to widely adopted conventional processes.
Michael Jewett, the co-senior author of the study and a Walter P Murphy Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, explains that rapid population growth combined with the accelerating climate crisis poses urgent challenges to mankind, which are linked to the persistent release and accumulation of carbon dioxide across the planet's biosphere. He adds that by harnessing our capability to work with biology on a sustainable and renewable basis, we can take advantage of the available carbon dioxide waste to transform the bioeconomy.
Closing the Carbon Cycle
IPA and acetone are necessary industrial bulks and platform chemicals found almost everywhere, with a combined global market-topping of $10 billion. Isopropanol or IPA is widely used as an antiseptic and disinfectant. Also, it is the basis for one of the two WHO-recommended sanitizer formulas that have proven highly effective in killing the SARS-CoV-2 virus. On the other hand, Acetone is a solvent for numerous synthetic fibers, plastics, nail polish remover, cleaning tools, and thinning polyester resin.
Although these chemicals are useful and necessary for many industries, they are generated from fossil resources, leading to emissions of climate-warming carbon dioxide.
Researchers developed a novel gas fermentation process to manufacture acetone and IPA sustainably. The team began with Clostridium autothanogenum, a LanzaTech engineered anaerobic bacterium. Then, researchers utilized synthetic biology tools to reprogram the bacterium, fermenting CO2 and making IPA and acetone, reports PhysOrg.
Jewett says that the innovation, led by cell-free strategies which guide both the strain engineering and optimization of enzyme pathways, accelerated the production by more than a year.
Researchers believe that the engineered bacterium and novel fermentation process will translate to an industrial scale. In addition, the approach has great potential in streamlining the process of generating other essential chemicals.
LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren says that the recent discovery is a significant step forward in avoiding further climate catastrophe. Most of our product chemicals are exclusively derived from new fossil resources such as coal, natural gas, and oil. The acetone and IPA pathways developed by the team will accelerate the development of new products by closing the carbon cycle.
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