To Battle Climate Change, Scientists Tap Into Carbon-Hungry Microorganisms for Clues

Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ÜBerkeley Lab) have demonstrated a new technique, modeled after a metabolic process found in some bacteria , for converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into liquid acetate, a key ingredient in "liquid sunlight" or solar fuels produced through artificial photosynthesis. The new approach, reported in Nature Catalysis , could help advance carbon-free alternatives to fossil fuels linked to global warming and climate change. The work is also the first demonstration of a device that mimics how these bacteria naturally synthesize acetate from electrons and CO2. "What's amazing is that we learned how to selectively convert carbon dioxide into acetate by mimicking how these little microorganisms do it naturally," said senior author Peidong Yang, who holds titles of senior faculty scientist in Berkeley Lab's Materials Sciences Division and professor of chemistry and materials science and engineering at UC Berkeley. "Everything we do in my lab to convert CO2 into useful products is inspired by nature. In terms of mitigating CO2 emissions and fighting climate change, this is part of the solution." - Peidong Yang, Berkeley Lab senior faculty scientist, Materials Sciences Division For decades, researchers have known that a metabolic pathway in some bacteria allows them to digest electrons and CO2 to produce acetate, a reaction driven by the electrons. The pathway breaks CO2 molecules down into two different or "asymmetric" chemical groups: a carbonyl group (CO) or a methyl group (CH3).