SoylentNews

upstart writes:

Engineered E. coli could make carbohydrates, renewable fuel, from CO2:

Researchers from Newcastle University, UK have engineered Escherichia coli bacteria to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) using hydrogen gas (H₂) to convert it into formic acid. The research, published today in Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Normally, an enzyme in E. coli catalyzes the reverse of this reaction—production of H₂ and CO₂ from formic acid. In nature, the latter is best known as a type of vinegar compound ants use to ward off predators (Formic comes from the Latin 'formica', meaning ant.)

To reverse the normal reaction in E. coli, the investigators got the bacteria to switch out molybdenum, a metal that is normally a critical part of the enzyme, for tungsten, by growing the bacteria in an excess of the latter. "This is fairly easy to do as E. colicannot readily tell the difference between the 2," said principal investigator Frank Sargent.

"Swapping of tungsten for molybdenum changed the properties of our enzyme so that it was locked in CO₂ capturing mode rather than being able to switch between CO₂ capture and CO₂ production," said Dr. Sargent.

[...] Dr. Sargent developed the idea from reading about the emergence of life on Earth, both in primary literature and popular science books, he said. Three and a half billion years ago, there was no oxygen in the atmosphere, but there were high levels of CO₂ and H₂, and cellular life had begun evolving 10,000 meters below the ocean's surface.

[...] "Around the world, societies understand the importance of combatting climate change, developing sustainable energy sources and reducing waste," said Dr. Sargent. "Reducing carbon dioxide emissions will require a basket of different solutions. Biology and microbiology offer some exciting options."

Original Submission