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Corrigendum to “The use of carbon dioxide in microbial electrosynthesis: Advancements, sustainability and economic feasibility” [Journal of CO 2 Utilization 18 (2017) 390-399]
... Regarding inputs to the production of materials and fuel, the scientific literature largely observes increased production costs through CCU. Many studies measure significant cost increases due to energy or catalyst costs (Christodoulou, Okoroafor, Parry, & Velasquez-Orta, 2017;Dimitriou et al., 2015;Mehleri, Bhave, Shah, Fennell, & MacDowell, 2015). Equally, CO 2 capture requires large investments from high-emitting producers, and further efficiency gains and policy support are needed (Senftle & Carter, 2017). ...
... At the same time, such products can be compatible with existing supply chains and markets (Dimitriou et al., 2015;Pérez-Fortes et al., 2014b). To develop successful products, Christodoulou et al. (2017) recommend investigating market saturation. Few studies conclude that their investigated technologies are already economically viable (Kim, Ryi, & Lim, 2018;Masel et al., 2014;Putra, Juwari, & Handogo, 2017). ...
... Few studies conclude that their investigated technologies are already economically viable (Kim, Ryi, & Lim, 2018;Masel et al., 2014;Putra, Juwari, & Handogo, 2017). Instead, many evaluated technologies cannot compete under current market conditions (Christodoulou et al., 2017;Kuenen, Mengers, Nijmeijer, van der Ham, & Kiss, 2016). Through sensitivity analyses, several studies provide case-specific guidance on how economic performance can be improved (Zhang et al., 2015(Zhang et al., ,2017 (2011) see the potential for "reorganizing the chemical industry." ...
International authorities are increasingly recognizing that utilizing the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from various industries can assist strategies for mitigating climate change. In developing novel carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies they aspire to contribute to circular economy targets and reduce consumption of fossil‐based raw materials. However, the potential economic effects of CCU on industrial value chains remain unclear. Hence, this study investigates the economic expectations placed on those actors currently conducting research and development (R&D) in CCU. The aspired levels of economic performance are identified through a systematic literature review of 19 policy advice reports and 15 scientific papers. Qualitative directed content analysis is conducted, based on an R&D input–output–outcome system. First, we identify three relevant groups of value chain actors by clustering industrial sectors: (a) equipment manufacturers, (b) high‐emitting producers, and (c) producers of materials and fuels. Then, we derive a criteria list from the review. Finally, the analysis reveals how CCU innovations are anticipated to impact different industries: Equipment manufacturers could contribute to economic growth. For high‐emitting producers, CCU provides one option for “surviving” sustainability transitions. Meanwhile, material and fuel producers need to act as “problem solvers” by offering competitive ways of utilizing CO2. We conclude by identifying research gaps that should be addressed to better understand the economic and social dimensions of CCU and to increase the chances of such innovations contributing to broader sustainability transformations of industrial and energy systems.
... Improvements within cell-design and microbeÀelectrode interactions could also be used for BES technologies with other purposes than CH 4 formation. The coupling of BES technology and fermentation technology has been proposed to constitute an economically promising way of utilizing electrical energy for the production of commodity chemicals like acetate from anaerobic fermentation processes (Christodoulou et al., 2017). CO 2 from biogas could here represent a promising source of carbon in electrochemically assisted microbial fermentation and at the same time upgrade the removal of the CO 2 from the biogas. ...
... New fermentation platforms to produce high-value products from methane fermentation such as ectoine, sucrose, biofuels, biopolymers, metal chelating proteins, enzymes, and/or heterologous proteins by a methanotrophic biocatalysis process have also shown some promise and could potentially be combined with CO 2 supplied from biogas (Blasco-Gómez et al., 2017;Christodoulou et al., 2017). Thus, product diversification of the bioelectrochemical reduction processes could lead to the formation of other industrially relevant applications of BES. ...
Biogas upgrading by employment of bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) is an emerging approach for electricity-based production of biomethane. Recent advances within the field have successfully demonstrated BES for biogas upgrading at laboratory scale under different configurations and operating conditions: in situ, ex situ, batch mode, and continuous mode. This chapter summarizes the development and status of bioelectrochemical biogas upgrading, and includes examples of multifunctional systems combining biogas upgrading with resource recovery. Insights are given into proposed electron transfer mechanisms and reported BES designs for CO2 reduction to methane. BES technology for biogas upgrading has primarily been developed to lab-scale and still has to be further developed to evaluate the current economic perspectives of the technology compared to conventional biogas-upgrading technologies.
... III. The combination of BES and fermentation technology was claimed as profitable bioprocess for the value-added product synthesis utilizing nenewable electrical energy (Christodoulou et al., 2017). In that context CO 2 can be supplied from biogas as a carbon source for electrochemically ctive microbes and renewable energy (wind, hydro etc) as energy source for up-scaling the reactor. ...
Microbial electrochemical approach is an emerging technology for biogas upgrading through carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction and biomethane (or value-added products) production. There are limited literature critically reviewing the latest scientific development on the Bioelectrochemical (BES) based biogas upgrading technology, including CO2 reduction efficiency, methane (CH4) yields, reactor operating conditions, and electrode material tested in BES reactor. This review analyzes the reported performance and identifies the crucial parameters to be considered for future optimization, which is currently missing. In this review, the performances of BES approach of biogas upgrading under various operating settings in particular fed-batch, continuous mode in connection to the microbial dynamics and cathode materials have been thoroughly scrutinized and discussed. Additionally, other versatile application options associated with BES based biogas upgrading, such as resource recovery, are presented. The three-dimensional electrode materials have shown superior performance in supplying the electrons for the reduction of CO2 to CH4. Most of the studies on the biogas upgrading process conclude hydrogen (H2) mediated electron transfer mechanism in BES biogas upgrading.
... A cost-benefit analysis of AD coupled with MES system shows that it is economically beneficial when CO 2 is used for acetate production rather than CH 4 (Christodoulou and Velasquez-Orta, 2016). The capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expense (OPEX) costs were significantly higher for AD and MES alone nevertheless the coupling could reduce CAPEX by 9% while maintaining the yield by two folds with significant removal of CO 2 (Christodoulou et al., 2017). Interestingly, AD coupled with BES system for cathodic biogas upgrading can also have additional product generation when anodic compartment is used for chlorine reduction (Batlle-Vilanova et al., 2019). ...
Anaerobic digestion (AD) has been widely applied bioprocess to produce the biogas for fuels from organic waste degradation. AD has been integrated with other processes for increasing the digestion efficiency and waste valorization. The integration of AD with other bioprocess optimizes the production of targeted product and reduces the waste. Recently, microbial electrosynthesis (MES) was coupled with AD for the biomethane production, chemical synthesis and resource recovery. MES coupling to AD also gives an opportunity for value-added chemical generation and hence provides additional economic gains of integrated system. In MES, the remaining carbon dioxide (CO2) in biogas is reduced to methane by methanogens utilizing in situ produced hydrogen at cathode, thereby enriching methane content. Furthermore, electroactive microbes could directly accept the electron from cathode to reduce the CO2 to methane and chemicals. Therefore, CO2 fraction in the biogas could be utilized for the further chemical synthesis such as acetate, butyrate. In this chapter, advances on AD technology and MES coupling with AD are thoroughly discussed for the production of fuels and chemicals. The outputs of recent laboratory scale experiments are summarized and discussed. Furthermore, mechanism of CO2 reduction is elaborated with methane and chemical production.
This review explains the various methods of conversion of Carbon dioxide (CO2) to methanol by using homogenous, heterogeneous catalysts through hydrogenation, photochemical, electrochemical, and photo-electrochemical techniques. Since, CO2 is the major contributor to global warming, its utilization for the production of fuels and chemicals is one of the best ways to save our environment in a sustainable manner. However, as the CO2 is very stable and less reactive, a proper method and catalyst development is most important to break the CO2 bond to produce valuable chemicals like methanol. Litertaure says the catalyt types, ratio and it surface structure along with the temperature and pressure are the most controlling parameters to optimize the process for the production of methanol from CO2. This article explains about the various controlling parameters of synthesis of Methanol from CO2 along with the advantages and drawbacks of each process. The mechanism of each synthesis process in presence of metal supported catalyst is described. Basically the activity of Cu supported catalyst and its stability based on the activity for the methanol synthesis from CO2 through various methods is critically described.
A microbial electrochemical system could potentially be applied as a biosynthesis platform by extracting wastewater energy while converting it to value-added chemicals. However, the unfavorable thermodynamics and sluggish kinetics of in vivo whole-cell cathodic catalysis in a microbial electrochemical system largely limit product diversity and value. Herein, we convert the cathodic reaction from in vivo whole-cell catalysis to in vitro enzymatic catalysis and develop a microbe-enzyme hybrid bioelectrochemical system (BES), where microbes release the electricity in wastewater (anode) to power enzymatic catalysis (cathode). Three different examples for the synthesis of pharmaceutically relevant compounds, including halofunctionalized oleic acid (HOA) based on a cascade reaction, (4-chlorophenyl)-(pyridin-2-yl)-methanol (CPMA) based on electrochemical cofactor regeneration, and l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) based on electrochemical reduction demonstrate that the hybrid BES design not only overcomes the thermodynamic and kinetic limitations of the cathode but also accomplishes the wastewater-powered production of high-value chemicals instead of low-value commodities. According to the techno-economic analysis, this system could deliver high system profit, opening an avenue to a potentially viable wastewater-to-profit process while shedding scientific light on hybrid BES mechanisms toward a sustainable reuse of wastewater.
Microbial electrochemical reduction of CO2 was carried out under two different applied potentials, -0.36 V and -0.66 V vs. SHE, using a biological sludge as the inoculum. Both potentials were thermodynamically appropriate for converting CO2 to acetate but only -0.66 V enabled hydrogen evolution. No acetate production was observed at -0.36 V, while up to 244 ± 20 mg L-1 acetate was produced at -0.66 V vs. SHE. The same microbial inoculum implemented in gas-liquid contactors with H2 and CO2 gas supply led to acetate production of 2500 mg L-1. When a salt marsh sediment was used as the inoculum, no reduction was observed in the electrochemical reactors, while supplying H2 + CO2 gas led to formate and then acetate production. Finally, pure cultures of Sporomusa ovata grown under H2 and CO2 gas feeding showed acetate production of up to 2904 mg L-1, higher than those reported so far in the literature for S. ovata implemented in bioelectrochemical processes. Unexpected ethanol production of up to 1411 mg L-1 was also observed. All these experimental data confirm that hydrogen produced on the cathode by water electrolysis is an essential mediator in the microbial electrochemical reduction of CO2. Implementing homoacetogenic microbial species in purposely designed gas-liquid biocontactors should now be considered as a relevant strategy for developing CO2 conversion.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a kinetically and thermodynamically stable molecule. It is easily formed by the oxidation of organic molecules, during combustion or respiration, but is difficult to reduce. The production of reduced carbon compounds from CO2 is an attractive proposition, because carbon-neutral energy sources could be used to generate fuel resources and sequester CO2 from the atmosphere. However, available methods for the electrochemical reduction of CO2 require excessive overpotentials (are energetically wasteful) and produce mixtures of products. Here, we show that a tungsten-containing formate dehydrogenase enzyme (FDH1) adsorbed to an electrode surface catalyzes the efficient electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formate. Electrocatalysis by FDH1 is thermodynamically reversible—only small overpotentials are required, and the point of zero net catalytic current defines the reduction potential. It occurs under thoroughly mild conditions, and formate is the only product. Both as a homogeneous catalyst and on the electrode, FDH1 catalyzes CO2 reduction with a rate more than two orders of magnitude faster than that of any known catalyst for the same reaction. Formate oxidation is more than five times faster than CO2 reduction. Thermodynamically, formate and hydrogen are oxidized at similar potentials, so formate is a viable energy source in its own right as well as an industrially important feedstock and a stable intermediate in the conversion of CO2 to methanol and methane. FDH1 demonstrates the feasibility of interconverting CO2 and formate electrochemically, and it is a template for the development of robust synthetic catalysts suitable for practical applications.
• electrocatalysis
• formate dehydrogenase
• formate oxidation
• protein film voltammetry
• carbon dioxide reduction
Bioelectrochemical system (BES) was operated using the enzyme formate dehydrogenase as catalyst at cathode in its free form for the reduction of CO2 into formic acid. Electrosynthesis of formic acid was higher at an operational voltage of -1V vs. Ag/AgCl (9.37mgL(-1) CO2) compared to operation at -0.8V (4.73mgL(-1) CO2) which was strongly supported by the reduction catalytic current. Voltammograms also depicted a reversible redox peak throughout operation at -1V, indicating NAD(+) recycling for proton transfer from the source to CO2. Saturation of the product was observed after 45min of enzyme addition and then reversibility commenced, depicting a lower and stable formic acid concentration throughout the subsequent time of operation. Stability of the enzyme activity after immobilization on the electrode and product yield will be studied further.
Microbial electrosynthesis is the biocathode-driven production of chemicals from CO2 and has the promise to be a sustainable, carbon-consuming technology. To date, microbial electrosynthesis of acetate, the first step in order to generate liquid fuels from CO2, has been characterized by low rates and yields. To improve performance, a previously established acetogenic biocathode was operated in semi-batch mode at a poised potential of -590 mV vs SHE for over 150 days beyond its initial development. Rates of acetate production reached a maximum of 17.25 mM day(-1) (1.04 g L(-1) d(-1)) with accumulation to 175 mM (10.5 g L(-1)) over 20 days. Hydrogen was also produced at high rates by the biocathode, reaching 100 mM d(-1) (0.2 g L(-1) d(-1)) and a total accumulation of 1164 mM (2.4 g L(-1)) over 20 days. Phylogenetic analysis of the active electrosynthetic microbiome revealed a similar community structure to what was observed during an earlier stage of development of the electroacetogenic microbiome. Acetobacterium spp. dominated the active microbial population on the cathodes. Also prevalent were Sulfurospirillum spp. and an unclassified Rhodobacteraceae. Taken together, these results demonstrate the stability, resilience, and improved performance of electrosynthetic biocathodes following long-term operation. Furthermore, sustained product formation at faster rates by a carbon-capturing microbiome is a key milestone addressed in this study that advances microbial electrosynthesis systems toward commercialization.
In this study, the conversion of carbon dioxide to methanol was realized through a novel biochemical approach that was catalyzed by three dehydrogenases: formate dehydrogenase (FateDH), formaldehyde dehydrogenase (FaldDH), and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). The dehydrogenases were encapsulated in an alginate−silica (ALG−SiO2) hybrid gel, which was prepared through in situ growth of the silica precursor within an alginate solution, which was followed by Ca2+ cross-linking. Methanol yields that were catalyzed by free dehydrogenases, and by dehydrogenases immobilized in pure alginate (ALG) gel and in ALG−SiO2 hybrid gel, were 98.8%, 71.3%, and 98.1%, respectively. Furthermore, methanol yield that was catalyzed by dehydrogenases in an ALG−SiO2 composite could be retained as high as 76.2% after 60 days storage and as high as 78.5% after 10 times recycling. The significantly improved catalytic properties of the dehydrogenases in the ALG−SiO2 composite were attributed to the creation of the appropriate immobilizing microenvironment: high hydrophilicity, moderate rigidity and flexibility, ideal diffusion characteristics, and optimized cage confinement effect.