Credit: UCI
Yilin Hu is an UCI assistant professor of molecular biology & biochemistry at the Ayala School of Biological Sciences
Carbon dioxide conversion process may be adapted for biofuel synthesis
Using a novel approach involving a key enzyme that helps regulate global nitrogen, University of California, Irvine molecular biologists have discovered an effective way to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) to carbon monoxide (CO) that can be adapted for commercial applications like biofuel synthesis.
Led by Yilin Hu, UCI assistant professor of molecular biology & biochemistry at the Ayala School of Biological Sciences, the researchers found that they could successfully express the reductase component of the nitrogenase enzyme alone in the bacterium Azotobacter vinelandii and directly use this bacterium to convert CO2 to CO. The intracellular environment of the bacterium was shown to favor the conversion of CO2 in a way that would be more applicable to the future development of strategies for large-scale production of CO. The findings were surprising to the group, as nitrogenase was only previously believed to convert nitrogen (N2) to ammonia (NH3) within the bacterium under similar conditions. The full study can be found online in Nature Chemical Biology.
Hu and her colleagues knew that the intracellular environment of the bacterium Azotobacter vinelandii favors other reduction reactions, due in part to its well-known oxygen protection mechanisms and presence of physiological electron donors. But they were unsure if the intracellular environment would support the conversion of CO2 to CO.
They were excited to discover that the bacterium could reduce CO2 and release CO as a product, which makes it an attractive whole-cell system that could be explored further for new ways of recycling atmospheric CO2 into biofuels and other commercial chemical products. These findings of Hu’s group establish the nitrogenase enzyme as a fascinating template for developing approaches to energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly fuel production.
“Our observation that a bacterium can convert CO2 to CO opens up new avenues for biotechnological adaptation of this reaction into a process that effectively recycles the greenhouse gas into the starting material for biofuel synthesis that will help us simultaneously combat two major challenges we face nowadays: global warming and energy shortages,” Hu said.
Learn more: UCI Scientists Identify a New Approach to Recycle Greenhouse Gas
Receive an email update when we add a new CO2 TO FUEL article.
The Latest on: CO2 to fuel
Wartsila backs CO2-to-fuel tech - reNEWS
April 16, 2019 - Wartsila backs CO2-to-fuel tech reNEWSEnergy storage provider Wartsila is investing €500,000 of seed funding into Soletair Power, a Finnish start-up behind a technology for producing renewable fuel.March 22, 2019 - Canadian company to build plant that will remove CO2 from atmosphere — convert it to fuel Big ThinkNegative emissions technologies remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store it or convert it to fuel.In addition to capturing carbon, Carbon Engineering also ...
Climate change: 'Magic bullet' carbon solution takes big step - BBC News
April 3, 2019 - Climate change: 'Magic bullet' carbon solution takes big step BBC NewsA technology that removes carbon dioxide from the air has received significant backing from major fossil fuel companies. British Columbia-based Carbon ...
Tesla’s First Impact Report Puts Hard Number on CO2 Emissions - Bloomberg
April 17, 2019 - Tesla’s First Impact Report Puts Hard Number on CO2 Emissions BloombergTesla Inc. released its first-ever environmental impact report on Tuesday afternoon, joining the 80 percent of S&P 500 companies who produce glossy-looking ...
Harmful effects of CO2 emissions, fracking can’t be denied - Albuquerque Journal
April 16, 2019 - Harmful effects of CO2 emissions, fracking can’t be denied Albuquerque JournalUnder “It's a Stretch” of the Albuquerque Journal, April 9 issue, Jim Willems uses diversion tactics to denigrate validated scientific research about climate change ...
- April 17, 2019 - Using Supercomputers to Identify Synthesizeable Photocatalysts for Greenhouse CO2 Gas Reduction R & D MagazineTesting nearly 69,000 materials for specific properties was the challenge faced by scientists conducting extensive research on using photocatalytic conversion to ...
Blamed for Climate Change, Oil Companies Invest in Carbon Removal - The New York Times
April 7, 2019 - Blamed for Climate Change, Oil Companies Invest in Carbon Removal The New York TimesChevron, Occidental Petroleum and BHP have invested in Carbon Engineering, a start-up developing technology to take carbon out of the atmosphere.
Japan's 2017/18 CO2 emissions drop to 8-year low - Reuters
April 16, 2019 - Japan's 2017/18 CO2 emissions drop to 8-year low ReutersTOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's greenhouse gas emissions dropped 1.2 percent to an eight-year low in the financial year ended March 31, 2018, government figures ...
Human waste: Unlikely climate change hero? - Bellevue Reporter
April 15, 2019 - Human waste: Unlikely climate change hero? Bellevue ReporterKing County treatment plant joins effort to counteract effects of carbon dioxide.Car Sales In Europe Slide, But Tesla Model 3 Debuts With A Smash - Forbes
April 17, 2019 - Car Sales In Europe Slide, But Tesla Model 3 Debuts With A Smash ForbesCar sales in Western Europe slid 3.7% in the 1st quarter as forecasters predicted a stagnant year at best, but the performance of Tesla's Model 3 stood out in the ...
via Google News
The Latest on: CO2 to fuel
- Tesla’s First Impact Report Puts Hard Number on CO2 Emissions on April 17, 2019 at 2:23 pm
Ford Motor Co. said its worldwide facility CO2 emissions is 4.4 million metric tons ... from being released into the environment from over 500K ICE vehicles with a fuel economy of 22 miles per gallon. ... […]
- Microsoft Is the Latest Major U.S. Company to Back a Carbon Tax. Here's Why on April 17, 2019 at 1:46 pm
At the same time, Shell announced that it would leave another trade group, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers ... It would put a tax on carbon dioxide emissions and then give the money ... […]
- Tesla's Long-Range Model 3 Has A Heavier CO2 Footprint Than Toyota's Camry Hybrid on April 17, 2019 at 10:42 am
After accounting for battery manufacturing and electric power emissions, Tesla's long-range Model 3 has a well-to-wheels CO2 footprint of ... The marginal fuel to charge an EV anywhere in the ... […]
- 40-Acre Los Angeles Urban Community to be powered by Bloom Energy Servers on April 17, 2019 at 10:40 am
The sleek fuel cells will generate clean, reliable electricity, on-site at The Alhambra campus with lower CO2 emissions than the local electrical grid, and with virtually no particulate emissions ... […]
- 8 things to know about Earth Day on April 17, 2019 at 7:40 am
Some remarkable international Earth Day efforts include: 100,000 people riding bikes in China to reduce CO2 emissions and save fuel; the planting of 28 million trees in Afghanistan by the Earth Day ... […]
- Clean vehicles require a lifecycle approach to emissions on April 17, 2019 at 3:41 am
Hydrogen derived from renewable energy would reduce a fuel cell vehicle’s CO2 footprint In order to keep the combustion engine in the game, its impact on air quality needs to be significantly reduced, ... […]
- Wartsila backs CO2-to-fuel tech on April 16, 2019 at 4:39 am
Energy storage provider Wartsila is investing €500,000 of seed funding into Soletair Power, a Finnish start-up behind a technology for producing renewable fuel. Soletair Power’s concept can improve ... […]
- Japan's 2017/18 CO2 emissions drop to 8-year low on April 15, 2019 at 7:47 pm
Emissions in the 2017 financial year declined for a fourth straight year to 1.292 billion metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent from 1.308 billion ... power plants and an increased reliance on fossil ... […]
- Global truck manufacturers turn to hydrogen fuel in clean energy push on April 13, 2019 at 10:38 pm
Volvo Trucks has launched Euro 6-compliant, gas-powered trucks that offer fuel efficiency and performance on a par with that of diesel-driven trucks. The Volvo FH LNG and Volvo FM LNG can run on ... […]
via Bing News