Korean chemists at the Korea Institute of Advanced Technology have discovered that the well-known bacterium Cupriavidus necator can convert carbon dioxide in the air into a useful bioplastic. To work published In Microbial Cell Factories.
The researchers noted that the discovery simultaneously solved two problems: removing excess CO2 from the air, and also creating plastic that is not based on petroleum products. This will reduce humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels.
“The results of this study are technologies that can be applied to the production of various chemicals as well as bioplastics, and they are expected to be used as essential components to achieve carbon neutrality in the future,” the scientists said.
The technology consists of two stages: The first stage of the system is an electrolyzer that converts gaseous CO2 into formate. It is then fed into the fermentation tank, where the bacteria begin to work.
C. necator consumes the original format and accumulates biodegradable polyester pellets that can then be extracted from the harvested cells. According to scientists, they experimentally proved that in five days the polyester product makes up 83% of the mass of dry bacterial cells.
According to scientists, their systems can work continuously. It has worked for 18 days so far as part of the experiment. During this time, we managed to obtain 1.45 grams of polyester.