Microbial electrosynthesis from CO reaches productivity of syngas and chain elongation fermentations.

Carbon-based products are essential to society, yet producing them from fossil fuels is unsustainable. Microorganisms have the ability to take up electrons from solid electrodes and convert carbon dioxide (CO) to valuable carbon-based chemicals. However, higher productivities and energy efficiencies are needed to reach a viability that can make the technology transformative.

Biomass-specific rates as key performance indicators: A nitrogen balancing method for biofilm-based electrochemical conversion.

Microbial electrochemical technologies (METs) employ microorganisms utilizing solid-state electrodes as either electron sink or electron source, such as in microbial electrosynthesis (MES). METs reaction rate is traditionally normalized to the electrode dimensions or to the electrolyte volume, but should also be normalized to biomass amount present in the system at any given time. In biofilm-based systems, a major challenge is to determine the biomass amount in a non-destructive manner, especially in systems operated in continuous mode and using 3D electrodes.

Reduced overpotential of methane-producing biocathodes: Effect of current and electrode storage capacity.

Cathode overpotential is a key factor in the energy efficiency of bioelectrochemical systems. In this study the aim is to demonstrate the role of applied current density and electrode storage capacity on cathode overpotential. To do so, eight reactors using capacitive granular activated carbon as cathode material were operated.

A General Model for Biofilm-Driven Microbial Electrosynthesis of Carboxylates From CO.

Up to now, computational modeling of microbial electrosynthesis (MES) has been underexplored, but is necessary to achieve breakthrough understanding of the process-limiting steps. Here, a general framework for modeling microbial kinetics in a MES reactor is presented. A thermodynamic approach is used to link microbial metabolism to the electrochemical reduction of an intracellular mediator, allowing to predict cellular growth and current consumption.

Catalytic Cooperation between a Copper Oxide Electrocatalyst and a Microbial Community for Microbial Electrosynthesis.

Electrocatalytic metals and microorganisms can be combined for CO conversion in microbial electrosynthesis (MES). However, a systematic investigation on the nature of interactions between metals and MES is still lacking. To investigate this nature, we integrated a copper electrocatalyst, converting CO to formate, with microorganisms, converting CO to acetate.

Microbial Electrosynthesis: Where Do We Go from Here?

The valorization of CO to valuable products via microbial electrosynthesis (MES) is a technology transcending the disciplines of microbiology, (electro)chemistry, and engineering, bringing opportunities and challenges. As the field looks to the future, further emphasis is expected to be placed on engineering efficient reactors for biocatalysts, to thrive and overcome factors which may be limiting performance. Meanwhile, ample opportunities exist to take the lessons learned in traditional and adjacent electrochemical fields to shortcut learning curves.

Purposely Designed Hierarchical Porous Electrodes for High Rate Microbial Electrosynthesis of Acetate from Carbon Dioxide.

Carbon-based products are crucial to our society, but their production from fossil-based carbon is unsustainable. Production pathways based on the reuse of CO will achieve ultimate sustainability. Furthermore, the costs of renewable electricity production are decreasing at such a high rate, that electricity is expected to be the main energy carrier from 2040 onward.

Water-Based Synthesis of Hydrophobic Ionic Liquids [N][oleate] and [P][oleate] and their Bioprocess Compatibility.

The conversion of organic waste streams into carboxylic acids as renewable feedstocks results in relatively dilute aqueous streams. Carboxylic acids can be recovered from such streams by using liquid-liquid extraction. Hydrophobic ionic liquids (ILs) are novel extractants that can be used for carboxylic acid recovery.

Bringing High-Rate, CO2-Based Microbial Electrosynthesis Closer to Practical Implementation through Improved Electrode Design and Operating Conditions.

The enhancement of microbial electrosynthesis (MES) of acetate from CO2 to performance levels that could potentially support practical implementations of the technology must go through the optimization of key design and operating conditions. We report that higher proton availability drastically increases the acetate production rate, with pH 5.2 found to be optimal, which will likely suppress methanogenic activity without inhibitor addition.

High Acetic Acid Production Rate Obtained by Microbial Electrosynthesis from Carbon Dioxide.

High product specificity and production rate are regarded as key success parameters for large-scale applicability of a (bio)chemical reaction technology. Here, we report a significant performance enhancement in acetate formation from CO2, reaching comparable productivity levels as in industrial fermentation processes (volumetric production rate and product yield). A biocathode current density of -102 ± 1 A m(-2) and an acetic acid production rate of 685 ± 30 (g m(-2) day(-1)) have been achieved in this study.

Autotrophic hydrogen-producing biofilm growth sustained by a cathode as the sole electron and energy source.

It is still unclear whether autotrophic microbial biocathode biofilms are able to self-regenerate under purely cathodic conditions without any external electron or organic carbon sources. Here we report on the successful development and long-term operation of an autotrophic biocathode whereby an electroactive biofilm was able to grow and sustain itself with CO2 as a sole carbon source and using the cathode as electron source, with H2 as sole product. From a small inoculum of 15 mg COD (in 250 mL), containing 30.