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Microbial Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Electrofuels

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Consequences of Microbial Interactions with Hydrocarbons, Oils, and Lipids: Production of Fuels and Chemicals

Part of the book series: Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology ((HHLM))

Abstract

Electrofuel produced by microbes utilizing CO2 and electricity as carbon and energy sources, respectively, has received much attention as an alternative to fossil fuels. Based on the inherent capabilities of microorganisms, extracellular electron transfer (EET) was demonstrated with various modes of cathodic electron transfer. With extensive studies on Geobacter sulfurreducens and Shewanella oneidensis, it was confirmed that cytochromes located in the outer membrane are essential for direct EET. Although a few electroactive bacteria are cytochrome independent, key compounds potentially involved in EET can be determined based on their redox functions, which were successfully demonstrated in electroactive acetogens and Ralstonia eutropha. Electroactive acetogens reduce CO2 with electric power at the cathode and direct sunlight with a self-photosensitized nanoparticle for the production of organic compounds. Furthermore, a hybrid water splitting-biosynthetic system, which consists of advanced catalysts and genetically modified R. eutropha, exhibited production of diverse electrofuels with high CO2 reduction efficiency. To improve the production of electrofuels, basic research and engineering of microorganisms and modification of electrodes is essential.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Science, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea

    Jongoh Shin, Yoseb Song, Sangrak Jin, Suhyung Cho & Byung-Kwan Cho

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  1. Jongoh Shin
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  2. Yoseb Song
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  3. Sangrak Jin
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  4. Suhyung Cho
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  5. Byung-Kwan Cho
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Correspondence to Jongoh Shin .

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  1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea (Republic of)

    Sang Yup Lee

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Shin, J., Song, Y., Jin, S., Cho, S., Cho, BK. (2017). Microbial Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Electrofuels. In: Lee, S. (eds) Consequences of Microbial Interactions with Hydrocarbons, Oils, and Lipids: Production of Fuels and Chemicals. Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50436-0_366

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